Earth Angel
by labellaleigh
Summary: In the year 1958, the sleepy town of Forks, WA is awakened after a horrific murder, leaving the town in despair and heartache. Now, in 2010, can Bella help put to rest the 52 year old cold case? What secrets does the small town hold? And who is CMS? OOC
1. Preface

PREFACE

Excerpt from Robert Frost's "Birches"

…So was I once myself a swinger of birches.  
And so I dream of going back to be.  
It's when I'm weary of considerations,  
And life is too much like a pathless wood  
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs  
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping  
From a twig's having lashed across it open.  
I'd like to get away from earth awhile  
And then come back to it and begin over.  
May no fate willfully misunderstand me  
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away  
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:  
I don't know where it's likely to go better.  
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,  
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk  
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,  
But dipped its top and set me down again.  
That would be good both going and coming back.  
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

Robert Frost 1915

**Well, I'm back! **

**Thank you all so much for your wonderful messages and your patience! You all amaze me. Also thank you NelizMD for helping me out and dealing with me at 2 in the morning with my worries. Also to Project Team Beta for taking a look at my chapters and giving me valuable advice!**

**I'm going to TRY and keep this short.**

**Earth Angel will update every other Friday. I already have a few chapters written and hope to keep on this schedule.**

**If you would all like, please visit my new website, located on my profile page. Earth Angel page already has information and videos for you all to enjoy. **

**Won't keep you any further, here is my new story Earth Angel. **

***Muah***

**-Leigh**

**P.S. 1/2 page setting will make it much easier to read...  
**


	2. Chapter 1: 1958

Chapter 1

March 1958

Forks, Washington

As I drove myself to the drive-in movies, I could not help but think about the fight I had with my father. The time to send in my college applications was coming, and I had not even thought twice about it. Dad was pretty frosted when I told him I was going to be working with my buddies down at the auto shop. When he blew a gasket at my revelation, I decided to just split and take up Justin and Paul's suggestion to meet them at the drive-in, or the passion pit for the couples who wanted to neck. Forks was a small town with not much to do, but the drive-in was probably the most happening place, and the most affordable, besides the drugstore owned by Paul McKinney's father.

Once I found a spot to watch tonight's flick in, I hopped out of my T-Bird and found Paul and Justin with a group of chicks.

"Eddie! You've made it," Justin greeted me. "Come here and meet a couple of fly chicks." He gestured to the girls as they giggled. I rolled my eyes and put on my infamous crooked smile that I knew would get me anything, and anyone, I wanted.

Justin introduced me to Kate, Irina, and Tanya who were all very pretty, but superficial. Kate and Irina were making googly eyes at Paul and Justin, while Tanya kept undressing me with her cool blue eyes.

"Edward," she purred at my side. "Heard so much about you. So you go to Forks High with Justin and Paul?"

"I sure do," I replied. Maybe I was a little interested in her. "What about you? I haven't seen you around Forks before."

"Oh," she giggled. "We go to Port Angeles High. We came down to Forks to visit a cousin of mine. I don't know where she ran off to, but she suggested this place. I am sure glad I came, though," She smirked.

Just as I was about to respond, I was sent backwards to the ground with something sticky running down my leather jacket.

_Ah, damn! I just bought this yesterday._

When I opened my eyes, I was met with the most beautiful pair of chocolate eyes.

"Oh, my gosh!" Her bell-like voice clouded my senses. "I am so sorry. Are you hurt? Oh, golly, I am such a klutz," the angel ranted.

Before I knew it, the beautiful angel was lifted off my chest while Paul lifted me up off the ground. I looked down at my jacket and found the source of the stickiness- a milk shake.

Just when I was taking off my jacket, two small hands with a napkin were attempting to wipe off the strawberry concoction. I stilled her hands and took a good look at the girl who'd brought me to the ground.

To say I was shocked would have been an understatement… She was stunning.

She had striking cheekbones, long mahogany hair, and pouty lips. Her skin, even in the dark, was luminous and fair.

I guessed she could tell I was admiring her, since her cheeks swirled pink. And I didn't, for once, wasn't annoyed by it. It was… beautiful.

Then I remembered that this tiny girl had brought me to the ground and made my leather jacket into a mess.

"Watch where you're going, will ya!" I lightly pushed her off my chest and snatched the napkins from her hands. When I looked back up, I thought my heart was going to break in pieces. Her beautiful eyes started to well up in unshed tears, and I immediately felt guilty.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she whispered before taking off.

"What a spaz," Tanya chuckled. I wasn't sure why, but hearing someone call that angel a spaz made my blood boil. "Why don't we go sit in your ride, and I'll get you taken care of." She batted her eyes at me.

"No thanks," I brushed her off, and finished wiping down my jacket. The only thing left was the scent of strawberries and just the thought of that brought a smile to my face.

I turned around and walked back towards concession stands. I bought two new strawberry shakes and started to search for my angel. I needed to apologize for being such a brute.

I walked around the corner of the building and found the brown hair beauty shaking in sobs.

_I was such an ass. _

"Excuse me." She was startled by my sudden appearance. The beauty turned her head to see who was intruding, and blushed even redder when she saw it was me.

"Hello." She looked back down at her handkerchief, which was drenched in her tears.

_Tears that you caused her, fucker…_

"I'm… I –" Just spit it out! "I'm sorry."

_There, that wasn't that hard, was it?_

_Yes._

_Oh, please,_ My thoughts conflicted.

Beauty narrowed her red rimmed eyes at me in confusion.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for? You weren't the klutz that spilled a shake all over you and knocked you down. God, how embarrassing," she whispered the last part.

I wasn't sure what to say, she obviously didn't realize how completely out of line I was with her earlier. I found a spot next to her and sat down, careful not to sit on her skirt.

"I'm sorry for how I acted back there." I cleared my throat so I could speak up. "I shouldn't have been such an ass. No girl should be treated in such a way. And for that, I am truly sorry." I smiled to assure her.

"I'll forgive you." She smiled slightly. "But only if you forgive me for being such a spaz."

"Only if you accept my apology by taking this milkshake. From the smell and taste of it, this is what you had ordered earlier." I gave her my usual smirk, and watched as her face lit up as she giggled.

"Okay." She took the milkshake from me and sipped it.

_Oh, god, what I wouldn't give to-_

_No, no! You just met this girl! Get your mind out of the gutter. Now!_

"Thank you, that was really kind of you," she said, giving me a breathtaking smile. "I'm Marie by the way. Marie Swan."

"Swan?" My eyes widen in recognition. "You're not related to Chief Swan, are you?"

"Oh! You mean Charles Swan? Yes, he is my father. Why?" Her smile faltered.

"Oh, nothing," I laughed dryly. "It's just that your pops and I go way back, if you know what I mean."

"You're Edward Masen." Her widened eyes matched mine.

"I'm guessing your pops warned you about me." I tried to act as casual as possible, but in reality I was scared shitless that she was going to bolt the opposite direction.

"A few times," she said, smiling again. "He told me to stay away."

"Really?" I smirked. "And are you?" My voice came out huskier then I intended.

"No," she whispered, and bit that plush bottom lip of hers.

I decided to forget about Paul, Justin, and Tanya at that moment and spend my time with Marie.

The girl I had just fallen hopelessly in love with.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

For the rest of the summer, Marie and I were basically joined at the hip. We did everything together.

Our days mostly consisted of going to the beach and building sandcastles. She was deathly afraid of the water, but I used our time together to teach her. By the end of the first week, I couldn't get her out of the ocean. She fell in love with it. Or we would spend our time at the diner and share strawberry milkshakes.

Call me a sissy, but I loved doing all the lovey-dovey things with her. She was my gal and I wanted to make her happy.

Paul and Justin would often make fun of me for being in love with her, but soon they, too, found the love of their lives with a couple of girls from the beach.

The only problems Marie and I faced were our parents. Her father, of course, did not approve of me, and would try to keep Marie busy with chores to stopher from hanging out with me.

Then, my parents often gave me grief for being with Marie because of her parents. Even though they adored Chief Swan, the mother was an entirely different story.

Apparently because Marie was the daughter of a divorced couple, she was not good enough to be my girl.

_Screw that_.

The last straw was when my parents embarrassed my girl during dinner one evening. My mother asked Marie about her mother. When Marie told my mother she didn't remember her mother, my mother decided to comment about girls these days being promiscuous as a result from their mother's choices. When she suggested that Marie was a whore, I stood up, took my girl's hand, and left.

I stayed up half the night with her crying on my shoulder.

When Marie went home crying that night, Chief Swan accused me for being the cause and slammed the door in my face. Later that night, though, I climbed the tree to Marie's window and slept above the covers with her, so she would not be uncomfortable. That was also the night I told Marie I loved her and promised her for always.

The next day I made it up to her by taking her to our meadow- our place. I had decided to make a picnic and serve my love her favorites, while reading poetry to her. Call me whatever you'd like, but I loved this girl and would do anything for her. If that meant making little sandwiches and reciting lame poetry, then so be it.

We spoke of our futures and what we would do after high school. When I told her my plans for being a mechanic, she did not make me feel like an idiot for what I enjoyed. She simply smiled and told me she would be proud no matter what I chose to be.

Then, we made love that night in our meadow; it was her first time…as well as mine.

I told my father a few days later that I would be sending off one of my applications to the community college. I decided to go to school because I wanted to make sure Marie and I had a stable life together.

Yes, Marie and I were that serious. After that night, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Marie was accepted into a college for all girls and would be studying to become a teacher. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I figured I might as well start thinking about our future.

My pops was not too pleased that I had chosen to stay in town while going to school. I guessed he expected me to attend Dartmouth or Harvard.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

Just as the summer air was cooling down in September, my girl's birthday was coming up, and I planned on proposing to her that night after taking her out.

I had everything planned, and even Paul had helped me out in purchasing in a ring. It wasn't big or flashy like I had wanted it to be, but it was perfect. Just like my Marie.

As I tried to tame my hair from its normal disarray, I finally gave up, and slipped on my coat –the one I would normally wear to church –and fund the keys to my beloved T-Bird. I was going to let the top down tonight, since it was going to be a cool but nice evening.

Before I left, I decided to call my girl to let her know I was going to be on my way to pick her up.

No one answered.

I was beginning to worry since no one was answering the phone. I knew Chief Swan would be working tonight, but Marie was supposed to be there.

I tried again a few more times, but still no luck.

I finally gave up and decided to just show up. I grabbed the box that contained her ring and placed it in my pocket.

As I drove down Marie's street and parked in her drive way, I couldn't get the eerie feeling out of my chest.

Something wasn't right.

There were no lights coming from the windows, including Marie's window. I quickly got out of my T-Bird and rushed up to her door. Maybe she knew I was here and was just closing up the place. But once my fist hit the door, it slowly creaked open.

"Marie?" I called out. "Marie, are you here?"

_Nothing._

I stepped away from the door and ran to my car. I grabbed the baseball bat I kept in there for when I would go and play with the boys.

I gripped the bat closely to my chest as I walked silently back to the door and pushed it wide open. The house was quiet as I walked through the den. Everything seemed to be in place, so I decided to check upstairs and see if Marie was up there. I reached her room and found it empty, just like the rest of the house.

I felt my breathing quicken and heard ringing in my ears.

_Where was she? _

Just as I was thinking about driving to the police station and asking the Chief where Marie was, I heard a strangled cry from outside.

_Marie!_

I wasn't sure how I was outside so quickly, except for the fact that all I could think about was finding Marie. I walked towards the backyard and gripped the bat, ready for an attack.

I heard Marie's distressed cry once again, and then silence.

Next thing I knew, I saw two shadows run from the shed and into the woods.

All I could hear was the shuffling of the leaves from their feet and my heart beat, which was beating unnaturally fast.

I finally reached the shed and walked inside. What I saw next brought me to my knees in heart retching sobs.

_My Marie…my love._

Even though it was dark, I could see Marie lying on the floor, covered in her own blood. Since my legs refused to even hold my own weight up, I crawled over to her body and checked to see if she was alright.

Her blue satin dress was ripped into shreds, her bare legs bent in an unnatural way.

"Baby," I choked into a sob. "Wake up."

But nothing happened.

Her hair was matted in tangles and blood, but her face was peaceful, even in her condition.

"Baby, it's me, wake up," I begged, picking her up into my arms and cried into her hair. I pressed my cheek to her lips to see if she was breathing.

But she wasn't.

The only noise I heard came from me, my whispered words, every heart wrenching sob that escaped me. They were all coming from me.

"Marie," I croaked as I said her name, but there was no response.

"Please, baby, wake up," I begged as I rocked her back and forth in my arms. I wasn't sure how long I was holding her, but I never wanted to let her go. But I could feel her drifting away and that only made my heart break into a thousand more pieces.

My beautiful girl was gone and there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

Then, the sound of the door opening caused me to look up to see who it was. If it was one of those bastards that did this to my Marie, I would be more than happy to rip their hearts from their chest. Placing Marie softly back on the ground, I reached for my bat and was getting ready to attack. But before I could stand, I was on my back right beside my love. I felt my chest get heavy and found it hard to breathe. I looked over to see who had brought me down, but all I could see was a heavy black boot besides my head.

Just as I was about to say something, my whole world started to fade into black.

And then…nothing…


	3. Chapter 2: 2010

**A/N: An update a day early… I must be having a great day. Important message at the bottom…. See you there =) **

Chapter 2

2010

"Asshole"

"Prick"

"Bastard"

Those were just a few of the names Bella mumbled while she began packing up her Red Kitchen Aid mixer and taping the box closed. With satisfaction, taking a jumbo size black sharpie marker, Bella wrote 'MY MIXER' across the box. Snapping the marker shut, Bella picked up the large box, carrying it over to the large assortment of boxes with the similar hand written labels. Stacking the mixer on top of a box with the words 'MY TELEVISION', Bella couldn't believe that she was able to completely pack up the entire apartment by herself. Looking over to the few, minuscule boxes on the opposite side of the room were James' belongings…'YOUR CLOTHES', 'YOUR BOOKS 'and her favorite, 'HER UNDERWEAR' written across the small box.

It was moving day for Bella. She had just graduated college with a degree in English Literature and still had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. The most obvious job that came to mind was education. If Bella wasn't so nervous about standing in front of a classroom full of teenagers who would rather be playing sports than learning about poetry, it could've been a good career choice. But the thought of doing so, made Bella sick.

But, there was something Bella had always wanted to do since she was a little girl and that was to write a book. While in college, many of Bella's professors encouraged her to publish some of her work, but just the thought of being rejected kept Bella back from continuing her dream. One of her professor's, Dr. Young, was the most persistent of them all. During Bella's junior year of college, Dr. Young had once quoted, "We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities." _Emerson_. Bella laughed when realized her teacher was quoting from Emerson. Dr. Young was her professor in British Literature and found it ironic she would be quoting from an American poet.

That was also the day Bella received a phone call from her mother, Renee, about a letter that came into the mail for her. Apparently, her paternal grandfather who she had never heard of before had passed away recently and his lawyer had tracked everyone who was mentioned in her grandfather's will. Since her father was no longer alive, his portion of the fortune went to the next surviving kin, which happened to be his only daughter, Bella.

It wasn't Bella's fault for not knowing any of her father's relatives since her father never spoke of them. As a child, her father had lived in a town called Forks, Washington but moved away at a young age. Once the thought of her father came into her mind, Bella swept it away and the sound of her growling stomach reminded her that she needed to eat something.

Before Bella could pick up her phone and dial her friend Tyler's number, a knock on the door caused her to stop what she was doing. Opening the door, a large dark haired man holding a coffee cup and a Chick-Fil-A bag stood with a large grin on his face, causing Bella to shriek in excitement.

"Oh, thank god," Bella gushed, snatching the bag of her favorite sandwich shop. Bella ripped in the sandwich package and took a huge bite; moaning in the ecstasy that was Chick-Fil-A.

It was almost as good as an orgasm.

_Almost_

"Damn, Bella!" Tyler laughed. "Can you at least act like a lady?"

"Shut up," Bella mumbled while chewing. "Where is it?" she asked while searching through her bag.

"What?" Tyler asked innocently.

"Where is _it?_" Bella demanded with a huff.

"You mean these?" Tyler grinned, reaching into his pocket and tossing two packages of Polynesian sauce, causing a smile to appear on Bella's face.

"You remembered!" Bella said picking up the packages.

"How can I not?" Tyler scoffed. "I still can't see how you can eat that shit "- wrinkling his nose in disgust –"it's too sweet."

"Nothing's too sweet," Bella said, as she poured the sugary syrup in the inside of her sandwich and took another large bite, adding more emphasis on her moaning.

"As much as I would love to watch you make love to your nasty sandwich, are you ready for me to move everything to the U-Haul truck?" Tyler asked.

"Yup," Bella replied as she took the last bite of her sandwich; throwing the package in one of James boxes. "Is Embry and Felix here to help, or are you doing this by yourself?"

"Felix couldn't make it, drank himself into oblivion till three in the morning. But Embry is right outside. I told him he better stay outside while you molest your lunch," Tyler taunted.

"Ha ha," Bella said dryly, swatting Tyler's arm. "What caused Felix to drink himself stupid this time?"

"Kate," he explained.

"Ouch," Bella grimaced, feeling sympathy for Tyler's buddy.

Two hours later, everything but the three boxes inside the apartment that belonged to James was left. Going through each room, Bella checked to make sure she had everything she needed before locking up the place. Bella wanted to be out of there before James arrived to pick up his belongings.

Taking one last look inside of the bare bedroom, Bella couldn't help but wonder what could have been if her and James would have worked things out. It wasn't just the matter of forgive and forget, it was if she would ever trust him again. If there was no trust, then she couldn't see it working.

Before she could bring herself down again and wonder the 'what if's' of life, Bella heard Embry and Tyler rough housing outside. A small smile played upon her lips when she thought about the good people that were in her life and closed the door behind her, leaving _his _boxes and the ring sitting on top of the kitchen table.

oOoOoOo

**Four days later**

"Ouch!" Bella exclaimed, clutching her foot while hopping on the other. "Holy mother of god!"

"Stub your toe again?" Tyler teased as he walked in the house with two large boxes in his arms. "You know Bells, one of these days your toes are just going to fall right off if you keep doing that." Bella ignored his comment and hobbled her way to Tyler to grab one of the boxes.

The road trip from Jacksonville, Florida to Forks, Washington happened to be one of the longest trips she had ever taken. One of the only regrets Bella had was leaving her car behind. But she knew, along with Tyler, that the old piece of crap would not have been able to make it out of Florida without breaking down. With enough money saved, she would be able to find a decent car once she settled.

Tyler's a saint, Bella thought.

Thankfully, Tyler was a native of Tacoma and had planned on visiting his family after his graduation. So asking Tyler to drive her to Forks made her feel less guilty about using his truck to help move her belongings an two hours or so out of his way.

The friendship between Bella and Tyler did not begin in the typical way for two people to meet. In fact, it had almost ended Bella's life. During the first year of North Florida University, Bella had just finished one of her classes for the morning and decided to walk to the coffee shop across the street. Because Bella had earphones on, she was unable to hear the yelling of a young bicyclist to get out of his way and instead ended up on her back with something heavy on top of her. Tyler had pushed Bella out of the way of the bicyclist and landed on top on her in the process. While Bella believed that she was perfectly fine to go on her merry way, Tyler insisted that she needed to go emergency room, just in case. Ultimately, Tyler had won and sat with her while she was being checked out.

During their drive to Washington, Bella couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she never had Tyler in her life. He was smart, handsome, funny and outgoing. So why did the thought of actually _being_ with him seem strange, if not, silly? It wasn't that she didn't feel attracted to him. In fact, she thought he was very good looking. But the feelings she felt towards her dear friend were nothing more than one would have for a brother.

However, Tyler didn't see Bella as just a friend or even a sister. Far from one actually, he had always admired his best friend and thought she was the most amazing girl he had ever met. While his buddies teased him for being in love with her, the thought didn't seem so funny anymore. He thought he could actually be with someone like Bella, so why not _be _with Bella? He remembered the day he thought about asking her out on a date, it was also the day James Holden transferred from the University of Georgia and stole Bella right out from under him.

"Are there any more boxes in the truck?" Bella's question brought Tyler from his thoughts.

"Um… no," he said, attempting to smile. "I believe these are it."

"I don't know how to thank you, Tyler." She pulled him into a hug. Wrapping his arms around her, Tyler kept wondering how he was ever going to let her go.

Sensing the tension in Tyler's hold, Bella broke away the hug and laughed nervously as she started to unpack the boxes. Hours later, Bella and Tyler were able to unpack everything and made Bella's home, feel like home.

She couldn't believe that at twenty-one, she had her very first home and was on her own. Before, Bella had never thought she would be able to own her first home. With the money she inherited from her grandfather, Bella was able to purchase a house and still be able to sustain without a job to keep her afloat. The man she bought the house from had just decided to move into a retirement home after some health issues and wanted to sell the house immediately with little contact except through his realtor. It was the home Bella had always wanted and more.

While Renee was against the entire idea of her only daughter moving across the country and by herself, her new husband Phil had to remind her that Bella was an adult and had to make her own decisions. Reluctantly, Renee let her baby girl go.

While looking around the house, Tyler noticed all the picture frames Bella had set up. Many of the pictures included them together throughout their college years. He remembered each and every one of those moments and was glad Bella thought enough of him to keep them around.

Then, he came across a photo he had seen before, but never really thought about until now. It was of a little girl with long brown haired pigtails, sitting upon on older gentleman's lap. He knew this was her father because he had the same brown eyes and hair. He didn't know the story behind Bella and her father, except that he had died when Bella was very young. She never talked about him, so he never pushed.

To make the tension go away, Tyler thought of the only thing to piss off his best friend.

"Hey Bells," Tyler called out, grabbing Bella's attention. "Did you know the closest Chick-Fil-A around here is in Bellingham?"

"Really?" Tyler had her attention now. "How far away is that?"

"Three hours," Tyler told her with a straight face.

Bella's face had gone from horror to sadness to anger within seconds. "What the fuck!" she shouted, throwing her arms up in the air.

Tyler couldn't contain the laughter that was bubbling up inside, which caused to piss Bella off even more.

_God, she is just beautiful…_

"I… what the… how? This is not funny!" Bella spluttered before stomping her foot like a child. It was then she realized she had just stomped her injured foot and cried out in pain.

For the rest of the evening, everything went back to normal between Tyler and Bella, despite the fact that Bella had moved to a state where there was only one Chick-Fil-A. She would have to remedy that with a trip to Bellingham. She was not going to let three hours stand in the way between her and her favorite food.

oOoOoOo

After ordering take-out from a Chinese place, Bella and Tyler sat at the dinner table chatting about what Bella's plans were in the morning and Tyler's trip to Tacoma. Tyler had offered Bella to come along with him and meet his family, but she had politely declined and thought it would be best to settle herself in her new home and explore the town. Tyler couldn't help but feel a bit hurt when Bella declined. No matter how much he wanted her to, he didn't expect for her to meet his family.

Since the bed was still being delivered, the only solution Bella had was a twin air mattress, she had found during a yard sale years before. She had offered Tyler the bed while she took the floor, but Tyler was very picky about where he slept, so he opted for a hotel instead. Before saying goodbye, Tyler reminded Bella that he would be picking her up so she could go buy a car before he had to leave for Tacoma.

After saying goodbye and thanking Tyler once again, Bella felt alone while looking around her home. The house was small with only two bedrooms and a half bathroom upstairs. Downstairs had a small kitchen and a decent size living room. Bella decided that she wanted to make the second bedroom into her very own office, a space where she could go focus while attempting to write her novel.

Before going to bed, Bella decided to look through the newspaper Tyler had picked up at a nearby gas station. She began looking for any ads that offered cars, and possibly a job. While she came up short with the cars, she did find some help wanted ads.

Even though she didn't need a job, Bella didn't want to just sit around all day and knew she needed some type of distraction.

Plus, having the extra money around wouldn't hurt, she thought.

_**Help Wanted: We seek qualified Instructors to help lead groups of teenagers on multi-week wilderness expeditions that combine backpacking, paddling and sailing. Our organization offers expeditions for motivated and interested young adults ages 13-17.**_

Bella laughed at the idea of being outdoors while having to keep track of teenagers.

_**Help Wanted: Looking for Experienced Painters to begin immediately. Company in business for over 30 years. Drivers License a must. If interested please call 555-836-3129**_

Paint made Bella woozy, so she skipped to the next one. 

_**Help Wanted: Women who are well endowed and experienced dancer. Pay is $25 an hour plus tips. Please contact Mike Newton at 555-321-3423**_

Bella was disgusted at the fact that someone would actually answer to an ad like that.

She decided to just give it a rest and go out tomorrow morning to begin looking around town. Hopefully, someone was hiring and would give her a chance.

Bella placed the newspaper on the kitchen counter and started to pour herself a glass of water. She couldn't help but shiver at how cold it was in the kitchen. Pulling out one of the blankets she had packed, she decided to place it in the dryer to warm it up a bit. Once the blanket was warm enough, she quickly wrapped herself around it and began getting ready for bed.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blustered through the kitchen, causing her to grip the blanket even tighter around her. The strange thing was all the windows were closed.

She shook her head and chuckled, she was just imagining things. Bella was about to get the air mattress blown up until something in the kitchen caught her eye. She watched the newspaper she had just been looking at flap around from her imaginary wind.

Finally, the newspaper stopped fluttering around and so did the wind.

Bella, clearly freaked out by now, walked over to the newspaper and glanced down to the page it had fallen on. There, in big bold fancy letters was her answer.

_**Help Wanted: Forks Diner. Waitress/Waiter position available. Experience is appreciated. Please contact Rosalie Hale at 232-231-4332 **_

oOoOoOo

Bright and early the next morning, Bella was sleeping peacefully on her makeshift bed, even though it wasn't as comfortable as her own bed. But the peaceful sleep was interrupted by the persistent knocking on the door. That was something Bella did not appreciate, not one bit.

Groaning, Bella threw the covers from herself and felt around with her hands, in search of her glasses. Once she felt them beside her, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and put them on. Stretching her aching muscles, Bella thought about laying her head down for just a few more minutes but the knocking returned in full force.

Pissed, Bella stood up angrily from her bed and tread heavily, but sleepily over to the door and swung it wide open. There stood Tyler, chipper as ever, with a coffee.

She could forgive him this once, if she was allowed to drink all of the said coffee.

"Good morning," Tyler greeted her, while Bella snatched away the coffee and walked away from the door without returning the greeting.

It was morning and Bella did not do mornings.

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Tyler murmured while inviting himself in the house.

While Bella drank her coffee and glared at Tyler, she started to feel herself actually wake up.

"Thanks for waking me up," she quipped before looking at the clock on the microwave. "At seven in the fucking morning, you do know that my times are a bit screwed up right and I am still on Eastern Standard Time?"

"Well, Miss Grouch, I needed to head out a bit earlier than I expected and I am not leaving Forks until you have a car to drive." He pointed out, leaving out room for discussion before continuing. "So get your ass in the shower, get ready to go."

"Alright," Bella groaned. "I'll do it, but we _have _to get breakfast before we go car hunting. I need food in my stomach, jackass."

Thirty minutes later, Bella was showered, dressed and ready to go. It would have been more enjoyable if she didn't have Tyler breathing down her neck.

Locking the house up, Bella was able to look around the neighborhood for the first time. It wasn't like the large neighborhoods she was used to in Florida, and it was also much colder, but she liked it nonetheless. It was quaint, in a Mayberry town sort of way.

The town was small, with only a little over three thousand population count. Tyler and Bella found their way through the town and found a public parking space. It was a cool brisk morning, but not too cold to walk around for a bit. Just down the corner of Main Street, was the small diner that was being advertised in the paper. If Bella had enough time, she wanted to apply.

The outside of the diner reminded her of an 'American Classic Diner' from the 1950s painted a pale blue and accented with stainless steel. The sign with the name 'Forks Diner' was lit up but with a few letters refusing to glow along with the rest. It added character, Bella mused.

When stepping inside the diner, the tiny bell signaling their arrival rang threw out the place, causing everyone to look. Bella could feel the treacherous blush swirl her cheeks from the embarrassment of being looked at.

There were mostly older patrons, with the few younger employees rolling around in their skates.

One look at this place and Bella was immediately taken into the 1950s. The decorations just screamed retro with the stainless steel counter and stools, the vinyl covered booths in bright red. The floor was checkered in the classic black and white and the jukebox sitting at the corner, playing Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock'. The walls were covered with large framed posters of different icons such as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Marlon Brando.

The women servers wore white button down shirts, the poodle skirts and those dreadful skates.

_Dear lord…_ _I have died and gone to Graceland, _Bella thought.

Luckily everyone went back to their business as Bella felt the blush on her cheeks cool down.

"Wow." Tyler laughed. "This is interesting." He looked around the place with amusement. "They could have chosen better music."

"But they hurt," someone whined.

At the counter stood a tall blonde chewing out a fuzzy-haired waitress, obviously complaining about wearing those ridiculous skates.

Bella began to rethink her decision to work here. She wasn't skilled at skating and didn't want to subject anyone with injury, along with her own of course.

The Jukebox then switched to Bill Haley's 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.

Tyler walked ahead of Bella and found a booth around the corner and signaled Bella to join him. Finally, Bella stopped gawking like a goldfish and joined Tyler.

Picking up the menu, Bella couldn't believe her eyes at the prices.

_BLT ….. 2.99_

_Cold Turkey or Ham ….. 3.99_

_Hamburger ….. 2.99_

_Jalapeno Burger….. 2.99_

_Club….4.29_

_Chicken Sandwich….4.29_

_Marie's Strawberry Shake…. 3.99_

_Chocolate Shake…... 3.99_

_Pepsi Products… .88 (free refills) _

Wow, everything was really cheap. Bella had no idea how she would receive any tips if the bill was going to be no more than ten dollars.

A waitress gracefully skated her way to their booth with her order book out and ready. Her hair was in high ponytail and she wore classic 1950s cat eyed glasses.

The waitress, who introduced herself as Angela, took their order.

Sitting on the other end of the diner, an older gentleman looked at the young couple ordering from one of the other waitresses. He had never seen them before and wondered if they were new to town or just visiting. He couldn't keep his eyes off the pretty little brunette and tried to place her from where he could have seen her before.

Then the little brunette laughed.

Flagging down the waitress, the gentleman signaled for his ticket. The charming laugh was too much for him and brought back memories that had not run through his mind in years.

Leaving a hefty tip, the man took his newspaper and left the diner.

The car dealership was a joke to Bella. Some of the cars the guy, Aro, was selling seemed to be a rip-off more than anything. Tyler, having experience with cars, also noticed the crap this guy was selling.

Aro tried his best to sell her a Dodge Caravan for over seven thousand dollars, but it looked like it had seen better days.

While Tyler tried to bargain with Aro about a Ford Escort, Bella decided to just walk around by herself and see if anything caught her eye.

Then something shiny reflected in Bella's eyes and noticed it came from a large partly covered vehicle. Intrigued, Bella walked over to the car, pulled away the dirty cover and revealed an antique looking Chevy truck. It wasn't shiny or incredibly clean, but something about it made Bella stare at it. Then the image of a young, pigtailed girl, sitting on somebody's lap on the front seat of a similar looking truck flashed before her eyes.

"Find something Bella?" Tyler came up behind her.

"Oh this just arrived yesterday," Aro said as he joined the two friends. "It's a 1953 Chevy pickup truck. Still in fine condition, just needs a little elbow grease. But if you want to look over at our newer trucks…" Aro's voice faded.

"How much?" Bella asked without thinking first.

"Bella, you can't be serious." Tyler scoffed. "This is a deathtrap and would get you killed. You're not familiar with this type of weather."

Bella didn't know why, but she had to have the truck. There was no debate.

"How about I give you a deal, I'll sell you the truck and throw in new tires for the price of five thousand dollars," Aro offered.

"Bullshit!" Tyler protested. "This can't be more than five hundred. Are you serious?"

"Look man, I'm just running a business here and I make the deals here," Aro argued.

"Two thousand," Bella offered. "Two thousand with the tires or I can take my money elsewhere," she lied. She wouldn't have minded giving that much for it, but she wanted to leave with some money in her pocket and knew the truck was going to need some repairs. Bella turned around and looked at Aro in the eyes. She noticed how much shorter he was to her, and she was only five foot five.

Somehow, Aro relented and took the offer. He really just wanted to get rid of the crappy old thing and knew the truck wasn't worth much. He was two thousand dollars richer than he was this morning and didn't have the energy to fight with two city kids.

With a new truck, well new to her, Bella was able to start the truck to life and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

It was hers and no one could take that feeling away.

**Fic Recommendation: **Battle Hymns by chels926 www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5936725/1/Battle_Hymns

**A/N:**

So, this chapter was written a bit more differently than chapter 1, and there is a good reason for that. While I had 6 chapters already written and beta'd, something did not seem right. The story was not being told the way I had originally thought and almost scraped the entire thing in frustration… until I tried out writing in 3rd person. That was when I could not stop writing and was able to get across everything I wanted without changing POV's multiple times later on.

So what is going to happen to chapter 1?

Nothing, except for being changed to 3rd person… maybe. Everything I wanted Edward to say and experience happened in that chapter, and I would feel horrible for ruining that. So for now on, my chapters will be in 3rd person.

Thank you everyone for giving my story a chance and I promise not to bore you with these **A/N's **any longer (at least, I'll try).

So before I sign off, I wanted to add this bit of information:

I will be sending** teasers** the Monday following an update (so this Monday) to all reviewers. Then the next Monday, I will post another **teaser** on my blog site: labellaleigh(dot)weebly(dot)com/teasers(dot)html

**Pictures **will be added after each update: labellaleigh(dot)weebly(dot)com/photos(dot)html

I will also be doing a **recommendation** for each chapter. If you want more recommendations (Reading's of the Day)/teasers/info/or just because, please feel free to follow me on my twitter labellaleigh

I'm out. See you August 6th =)


	4. Chapter 3: Mr C

****Note: A few changes were made in this chapter. It may look the same from before, but it will flow better with upcoming chapters.**

Chapter Song: Boston by Augustana

Chapter 3: Mr. C

Glaring at the monstrosity of the truck Bella had purchased just a few hours ago, Tyler still couldn't comprehend the reason Bella would pay so much for the piece of crap. He tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Bella to buy the little Escort or at least a newer truck than the death trap that is now sitting in front of her house. For whatever reason, Bella was simply in love with the red Chevy pickup and could not be parted from it.

"Stop glaring at my truck," Bella chastised.

"Really, Bells?" Tyler scrunched up his face in disgust and confusion. "You seriously want to drive _this_ truck?"

"Yes!" Bella huffed. Once her eyes had landed on that truck, she knew there was something special about it. As she stared at it, there was no way to stop the smile that formed across her lips.

That was all it took to convince Tyler. Seeing Bella happy –granted the source for said happiness was coming from a truck –made Tyler feel less guilty for leaving his best friend behind today. Maybe, just maybe, he could still convince her to join him in Tacoma.

"Well, I should be heading out." Tyler sighed. "My parents are expecting me at the cabin for a picnic."

"Sounds like fun." Bella tried not to sound disappointed, but of course it didn't go unnoticed by Tyler.

"You know, you can still come with me, Bells," Tyler whispered. "It would be much better to have my friend there."

"You know I can't." Bella sighed. "I would love to, but I need to get settled here."

"I understand," Tyler relented. "But next time I'm in Forks, we need to hang out, promise?"

"I promise." Bella grinned as he pulled Tyler into a hug. Tyler was startled at first but quickly melted into her embrace, tightening his hold. It felt right holding her that way.

Bella knew she would have to let go of Tyler at some point, but letting go meant being alone. No words were spoken between the two friends. The hug itself said it all, _I'll miss you, thank you… and I love you. _

OoOoOoO

As Bella watched Tyler back out of the driveway and waved goodbye, she couldn't help but wonder if she should've accepted his offer to visit Tacoma. Being with the one friend she did have, would've been so much better than being on her own. Bella felt she needed to prove to herself and to everyone who believed she couldn't make it on her own. She had always depended on others in the past and couldn't keep living that way. If that meant living in a town that she had never been to before, where no one knew her name, could be the kick in the butt she needs. Since her arrival, she had been happier in her decisions and felt truly on her own, an adult.

Taking a step into her home, Bella felt for the very first time since she arrived, alone. She didn't know of anyone to call or knew where to go to meet new people, except for the diner. She was completely out of her element. To keep her mind occupied, Bella found a few boxes that were put to the side while unpacking. It mainly consisted of childhood knickknacks and whatnots. The storage building in the back of the house seemed like a good place to put it, but was afraid of her things being ruined from animals. She practically lived in the forest and the thought of wild beasts nearby made her shudder. The office on the top floor would have to do as a storage place until she found a more suitable place for them.

A few hours later, Bella began to feel famished and walked over to her refrigerator to fix herself something to eat. Then just as soon as she opened the door, the realization hit her. She hadn't been grocery shopping. She remembered the small grocery mart, her and Tyler had passed by while looking for the diner and to pick up her keys to her new, well…to her, truck.

There was something about driving the truck that made her feel more at home, like it was truly meant for her. Bringing the Chevy to life, Bella made her way into town once again and found the small grocery mart down Forks Avenue. It wasn't overtly busy, so getting out in record time shouldn't be a problem.

While looking for a parking space, Bella couldn't help but notice the few people watching the truck closely. Hopping out of the truck, Bella slammed the door shut and pulled the hoodie of her jacket over her head, passing by the spectators that were whispering to amongst themselves.

_Great, gossipers…_

Once she made it inside the store, Bella quickly found a buggy and began walking down each aisle. If there was one thing Bella loved the most, it would be cooking. Her small apartment didn't leave her much room to cook like she had wanted to, but she made the most of it. She felt excited to have a larger kitchen to work with. Bella had so many ideas but then, she wondered who she would be able to cook for.

When she was with James, Bella loved hosting small dinner parties for their friends. On some days, Bella would dress up in her best outfits and wore fake pearls as if she was Julia Childs –her inspiration for cooking when she first saw her on TV one morning.

Everyone loved Bella's food and would often beg her to cook for them. She felt, at the most, wanted. Now Bella wondered if that will ever happen again.

Pushing those thoughts in the back of her mind for now, Bella was just in the process of turning her buggy into the next aisle, when she suddenly rammed into someone else's cart.

"I am so sorry," Bella gasped, when she realized what she had done. Looking up at her victim, the older gentleman just chuckled and gave her a gentle smile.

"No need to be sorry, these aisles are so narrow. I'm surprised there are no traffic accidents here," the older man joked, causing Bella to smile back. Then, within seconds, his smile fell from his lips and the color drained from this face.

After his change in demeanor, Bella looked behind her to see what was wrong. When she saw there was no one or anything behind her, Bella narrowed her eyes in confusion and concern.

"Sir, is there something wrong?" Bella asked.

_Oh please don't have a heart attack… please_

Then, almost instantly, his face softened and forced smile appeared. "I'm sorry, Miss. I must be losing it today. I thought you looked like someone else, my mistake." His voice thickened with… sorrow?

"Well, you can't be her. I'm sorry for running into your cart Miss. You have a lovely day." He tipped his hat and hurriedly walked away.

_What the heck?_

"I'm sorry about my grandfather." A tall good-looking dark haired man snuck up behind her. "I think he's going senile," he chuckled.

"Pardon me?" Bella couldn't stop looking at his eyes, which were a crystal blue.

"I apologize, my name is Peter McKinney. That older man that was acting all wonky is my grandpa, Paul," he introduced himself. "I haven't seen you around… did you just move here or are you visiting?"

"My name is Bella, Bella Holden." Bella cringed as soon as the name slipped through her lips. She had so grown use to introducing herself as a Holden; it was almost like second nature. But the bitter taste that remained in her mouth reminded her that she needed to change that immediately. "And yes, I did just move here. Yesterday in fact, I'm just filling up my empty fridge."

"Well then, welcome to Forks." Peter shook her hand. "How do you like it so far?"

"It's alright." Bella bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, remembering how many odd looks she had received today. "Everyone sure is aware of my move here."

Peter chuckled and shook his head. "That's Forks for you. We don't usually get that many newcomers around here and when someone does, well, you get the picture. This is a small town. It's hard to go through a day without everyone knowing if you sneezed."

"Wow." She laughed. "I guess I'm just not use to being the center of attention. I've moved so many times growing up, I just stopped noticing people's reaction and just go on living." Bella reached to the top shelf to pick up a box of pancake mix, but failed when she couldn't even touch it with her fingertips.

"It's hard not to notice a beautiful girl." Peter reached to the desired box with ease, holding it out for her to take. "Especially one that seems as interesting as you."

Bella took the pancake mix from his grip, averting any eye contact after his compliment.

"I'm sorry. I crossed the line, didn't I?" He laughed nervously. "I apologize. I tend to ramble and speak before thinking."

"Hey, it's okay." She blushed. "It was sweet. Like I said before"- pointing to herself -"not use to a lot of attention."

"So…" Peter followed Bella to the next lane. "Which lovely home did you end up with?"

"Um…" Bella thought for a moment. "The two story house on the corner of Oak and Timber."

"You mean the old Chief's house? Wow, I forgot he was going into that new retirement development." He thought out loud.

"Really? The old Chief's home? Wow," She mused. Bella never really thought about the man that first lived there.

"Yeah, I don't know him really well. He was always kind of a recluse. Poor old man, hardly any visitors while I was growing up."

"That's sad," she said. "What about his family?" Bella asked.

"Oh, none are around anymore, I guess." He said sadly. "I don't usually take part in small town gossip but according to Pa, he started to go a little crazy and decided to just move into a retirement home."

Bella couldn't help but feel sorry for the man who lived in the house before her. Knowing he was alone made her heart clench at the thought.

After that, they dropped the subject of the old Chief of Police and talked about random things. Bella learned Peter was twenty-three and started his own business in landscaping and architecture. While his friends, Sam and Jared, were good with their hands and tools, Peter was much more fitted with the designs. He talked passionately about making environmentally safe homes and hopefully expanding his company to build larger buildings in the city. But the occasional design of a ranch home and landscaping was all they were really able to afford.

Also, not so subtly, he mentioned getting out of a relationship not too long ago and how he was ready to get back into dating. Bella could tell he was fishing for information about her relationship status, but she made sure to just skip around some of his questions and change the subject.

"Well, I should be going, Pa must be wondering where I am. I'm sorry for interrupting your shopping,but it was really nice getting to know you." Peter smiled brightly. "Here is my number if you ever need anyone to talk to or hangout with." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a business card of his.

"Thanks Peter," she said thoughtfully. "I should really be getting home. Thank you for keeping me company."

"No problem, Bella. It was my pleasure really." He briefly touched her arm before turning away. As she watched him make his way to one of the checkout lanes, Bella made eye contact with his grandfather, Paul, who kept looking at her intently.

Chills ran down her spine as she made her way over to the checkouts.

Paul continued to stand there, watching the young woman make her way to the checkout lane. For the first time in fifty years, Paul thought about the clumsy brunette beauty from his past.

"Hey, Pa," Peter tried to get his attention. "You okay there?"

Paul shook his head, bringing him back into the present. The encounter was almost too much for his poor old heart and reliving the past would only make it worse. There were just some things that belonged in the past.

"Yup." Paul smiled forcefully, causing the creases in his aged skin crinkle around his eyes. "Let's get out of here. I need to go visit an old friend of mine, if you don't mind."

Peter nodded his head and looked back at the girl he had just met, wondering if he would ever hear from her. Peter had an interest in Bella and he wanted to know more about her.

OoOoOoO

Weeks later, Bella began to get the hang of the small town living and even the nonstop prattling from the old ladies at the diner. It took a bit of getting use to, especially when visiting the food mart each week.

Tyler called almost every night to check up on his dear friend, which Bella appreciated more than she would ever tell. She was lonely and had yet to make a friend, except for Peter, who she had not called since meeting him.

It wasn't that she was not interested in Peter; she just knew what kind of _friendship _he was looking for, a _friendship _she was not ready for at this time. It would take a while to fully get over her failed marriage with James and jumping into a relationship so soon did not appeal to her. Right then, the only things in her mind were getting settled in her home and finding a job.

Bella didn't take the job at the diner, especially after witnessing the footwear she would have to wear. Her coordination was not made for someone on rolling skates and it would only end in disaster if she did that the job. So, she kept looking.

Even though she had her truck to drive anywhere she wanted, Bella had noticed that her house was not too far from town and found joy in walking to the diner every morning.

Before stopping by for her morning coffee, Bella stopped by the newspaper bins, hoping to have better luck this week in the job searching. Sitting down in her usual table, Bella couldn't help but kick the feeling of being watched. She looked around the diner and noticed that everyone was minding their own business. A group of women, sporting red elegant hats and purple dresses, were chitchatting, in their usual Red Hat meeting. At the bar, a couple of policemen were joking around and would occasionally glance over Bella's way and then laughing over something they found humorous.

It was just silly, really. Paranoia was not uncommon for Bella, so she decided just to ignore it and begin her search once again.

"Morning Bella," Angela, the waitress from the diner, spoke. "Coffee, two sugars and cream?"

"Morning Ang, and yes please." She sighed while setting down the newspaper. Angela was possibly the closest person Bella considered a friend in this town.

"Rough morning?" Angela asked.

"Eh." Bella shrugged. "Still job searching. Nothing really seems to catch my eye. Though, I am starting to reconsider the whole dancing thing." She snickered, causing Angela to laugh.

"Let me get you your coffee." Angela skated gracefully away from her table.

Now that Bella thought about it, she did consider Angela a dear friend. Despite Angela being only a sophomore in high school, she was very mature for only being at the tender age of sixteen.

Looking back to her mission at hand, Bella had yet found anything really worthy of a job. Just when she was about to give up, she noticed an older gentleman sitting in the corner of the diner, gazing intently and then averting his eyes elsewhere when he noticed Bella had caught him staring. She had seen him there before, almost every time she came into the diner in the mornings. He always sat at the same table, with a cup of coffee, some kind of streusel in front of him and the morning paper.

Feeling uncomfortable for being watched, Bella tried to keep her mind focused on something else but failed when she noticed the old man hobbling out of the diner on his cane.

"Here you go sweetie." Angela skated to her table, placing a steamy cup of coffee and a cheese streusel in front of Bella.

Hearing the warning bell from the door go off, Bella looked up at Angela with a small smile.

"Thanks Ang. Can I ask you something?" Bella asked.

"Sure." Angela smiled brightly. "What's up?"

"Who was the man sitting in that booth in the corner… the one with the cane?" She asked.

"You mean Mr. C? What about him?"

"No reason." Bella laughed nervously. "Just wondering."

"He hasn't been bothering you, has he?" Angela asked. "He can be a bit… creepy but he's harmless. Good tipper." She laughed.

"Oh, no he hasn't been bothering me at all. I'm just being nosey, that's all."

"Well, okay. You need anything else, hun?"

"No, thank you Ang." She thanked Angela for her breakfast. "I'll let you know if I need anything else."

Looking back at the corner of the diner, where the old man, known as Mr. C had just vacated, Bella watched as the waitress wiped down his table, removing any trace of him being there.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Bella couldn't help but wonder who exactly Mr. C was. From what Angela said, he was probably just being his normal self and probably looked at everyone in the diner. But she couldn't shake the feeling off. It was almost like he was staring directly into her soul and that alone made her feel that just much more uncomfortable.


	5. Chapter 4: Usual

Chapter song: In the Deep by Bird York

Chapter 4 – Usual

Mr. C had a usual routine. He made his typical morning drive to the diner with a newspaper in hand and sat in his usual booth by the corner of the jukebox. He would then have his customary cup of coffee and a cheese Danish given by his regular waitress, Lillian. Now, it was anything but _usual_ since the day the little brunette visited Forks. At first, he thought his old age had gotten the best of him and he was just imagining things. There were to be no way that _she_ could be Marie Swan. His Marie was long gone, buried six feet under the earth's surface, alone.

It wasn't until _her_ laughter resonated throughout the walls of the diner that his poor heart clenched in sorrow. It was the same bell like laughter he had heard for so many years. He was afraid he had almost forgotten. Initially, it was almost too much for him to bear. He had to leave to regain his composure before he completely lost it.

The next morning, Mr. C noticed the little brunette sitting in the same booth from before. He almost turned around and went back home, but then stopped when he realized he would not let this woman ruin his morning. Lifting up his prosthetic leg and leaning into his cane, Mr. C begrudgingly made his way to his booth and tried to keep his gaze away from her.

During the next few days, he learned from Lillian that her name was Bella Holden and had recently moved here with no family, friends or any reason really. She was a mystery to the town of Forks and had everyone in an uproar to find out who she really was. But to Mr. C, she was a nuisance to his daily routine. This _Bella_ had brought up memories from his past that he worked so diligently to have pushed in the back of his mind where they belonged.

Then the blame would slowly creep its way into his thoughts the moment his eyes laid on Bella each morning. Every morning, so it seems, she had her usual too. A cup of coffee and some sort of danish. Emmett made the best danishes, so he wasn't surprised by that. He would unknowingly wait for the sound of her laughter to begin before he left for the day. Only then would his heart hurt a little less and he actually looked forward to the next morning.

But today, something different happened. Once he finished his coffee, he noticed Bella looked agitated while she flipped through the newspaper. He had no idea what she would be looking for or what could cause such a reaction from her. Placing down her newspaper and rubbing her face with her hands, Bella looked up and locked eye contact with him.

_Brown..._

Her eyes were brown.

They had the same depth and soul as Marie.

Everything screamed Marie with her and all the noise were beginning to be too much to handle. He needed to get away and leave before he lost the cool demeanor he had worked so hard for. He was already known as the town's infamous crazy and causing a scene in the diner would only fuel it all.

Putting down his coffee, Mr. C lifted himself off the creaking booth seat and left his usual tip on the table for Lillian.

Then a revelation hit him with full force.

This Marie look-a-like was no coincidence at all. It couldn't be.

_Could she be…?_

"WooHoo! Charlie!" He heard his name being called out from the distance. Barreling down the side walk was Mrs. Martha Cope. She was the town's gossiper and always had her nose in everyone's business, including his.

"Martha." He forced a small smile. His morning had been emotional as it was with the thoughts of his late daughter, thus, he wasn't much for socializing today.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next day, Bella's furniture had finally arrived. Thankfully the delivery men were more than happy to help Bella bring in the multiple pieces and help set them up for her.

For the first time since Bella moved to Forks, she smiled. Seth and Alec reminded her so much of her friends at home, rough housing and showing off their strength abilities in front of Bella. Seth, the tallest of the group, kept making side glances at Bella and smirking whenever he passed by, making her blush. Before the guys left, Seth left his business card and a personal cell phone number on the back.

By now Bella had two business cards and still did not plan to call either of them back, but she kept them anyway. The gesture was sweet and made her feel better about herself. She felt wanted.

By four, Bella already wanted to go to sleep in her bed. Sleeping on her makeshift bed had not been the most comfortable. She thought it to be the reason for her poor mood since moving to Forks. Every night seemed to drop in temperature, leaving her so cold that even blankets were not helping.

So sleeping on the floor would end.

_Finally…_

Filling up her new bookshelf with her classics and a few risqué novels in her office, her cell phone began to ring. Placing the last Jane Austen book on the top shelf, Bella picked up her phone and answered.

Before she realized it, she had just picked up the phone call from the one person that she never wanted to hear from again.

"What do you want, James?" Bella sighed, exasperated.

"What? I can't just call and talk to my _wife_?" James said snidely.

"_Ex-wife, _James. Or did you forget the papers you signed?" Bella snapped. She was in no mood to deal with his bullshit.

"Technicalities," James scoffed. "What I want to know is if you still have the engagement ring I gave you?"

"Why?" Bella arched an eyebrow.

"Because I just need it, all right?" James snapped impatiently.

"No, tell me why you need it and I'll give you my answer." Bella was just getting impatient.

"Because…" James said softly, his mood shifting a hundred and eighty degrees from before. "Because I wanted to give it to Victoria."

Bella automatically gripped the phone tighter in her hand. _She_ had a name, one that she felt better not knowing before.

"What?" Bella breathed heavily.

"Victoria and I… we're…. "James trailed off and then mumbling something softly, too softly for Bella to understand.

"You're what?" Bella asked.

"Pregnant," James said a bit louder this time. "Vicky's pregnant." Bella certainly did not miss it that time.

"Oh," was all she could say in reply. Although her and James were over and divorced, the pain she felt was still raw. She felt as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Look, Bell, I'm sorry for how things ended… and I know I have no right to ask you."

"It's on the kitchen counter at the apartment. I take it you haven't been there since I left, but it's still there," she interrupted, not wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Oh." He sounded surprised. "Well, thank you. Hey Bell, I'm…"

"Hey um," Bella sniffed, interrupting him once again. "I have to go. I uh, I have some things to do." She had to get off the phone before she lost it.

"Okay," James resigned. "Take care, Bell."

"Uh huh, you too," she replied quickly and hung up.

That was definitely a conversation that she thought she would never have with James. If he had just gone back to the apartment, instead of shacking up with… _her_, then he would have saved a phone call and saved her the unexpected heart ache. She would have loved _not_ knowing.

But she did know.

James was going to be a father.

When the images of the last few months of Bella and James's marriage ran through her mind, she had a range of emotions flowing through her. She wasn't sure which one to react on. They just kept cycling through over and over until she could finally settle on one.

Hurt.

Sadness.

Humiliation.

But most of all…anger.

So much anger hazed over her eyes and senses; she didn't even realize the paper weight that she had ended up throwing towards the drywall, until it was too late.

Sitting in the middle of the office with a fist sized hole in the wall, Bella began to tremble. For the first time since the down fall of her failed marriage… tears began to fall.

Bella couldn't believe what came over her. She didn't love James anymore… but at one point she did. They were supposed to have that life. She was supposed to be pregnant with James's child, not _her._ Anyone but _her..._

She could've been sitting there for minutes, hours_, staring at the wall while the angry tears flowed down her cheeks._ Bella had finally let go of all her pent up anger she held in the past year.

Suddenly, a wave of calmness washed over, along with cool air surrounding her. It was the same feeling she felt the first night she slept there. Lazily, Bella lifted up her head and rested the side of her face on top of her folded arms, breathing deeply, in a steady rhythm.

She looked over to the damage she had made with the paper weight and groaned when she realized she would need to get that fixed and soon.

_Just another hole in her life for her to patch up._

But right now, she needed a drink.

Luckily, Tyler stocked her cabinets with all her favorite men: Jim, Jack, Johnny and Jose.

Running her fingers along the labels, Bella decided that Jack would be her choice for the night and reached for a tumbler. After pouring the amber color liquor, Bella tossed her head back, downing the whisky, letting the fire spread down her throat. She was never much of a drinker, only a glass here and there. But tonight was not a night of celebration. Deciding that one was not enough to make her forget, Bella poured herself another tumbler full.

After her third glass, Bella began to feel more at ease. Her lips began to buzz and turned numb as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip.

"Stupid, fucking bastard," she murmured.

No, she didn't forget about the conversation but she was no longer feeling sorry for herself. She still felt the anger, but felt better doing so. If she was going to be pissed, might as well do it while being drunk.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Flickering her eyes open to the burning rays of the sun, Bella groaned as the high pitched ringing and pounding headache started.

_Hangovers..._

The sheets were wrapped around her legs and still wearing the same clothes from the day before.

_Great, first night in my new bed and I sleep in my jeans, _She thought.

Lifting her head gently from the pillows, she pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, hoping to relieve some of the pressure she felt building.

"Never drinking again," she grumbled.

Just as she was about to get out of bed, Bella heard a faint static noise downstairs.

_Must have left the television on, _she wondered.

Stumbling slightly out of her room, Bella tried her best not to fall down the stairs, keeping a grip on the rail for support. Glancing at the television, Bella noticed it was turned off and the sounds were coming from the kitchen radio. Grumbling about the noise, Bella turned off the radio and began the search for the pain reliever she most needed.

The ringing still had not subsided but it was much louder than before. She then realized that the buzzing were not from her ears, but from her phone lying besides the half drunken bottle of Jack Daniels.

Flipping the phone open, Bella answered.

"Ello?" she croaked into the receiver before clearing her throat. "Hello?"

"Isabella Marie!" The voice boomed loudly, she quickly realized that it was Tyler on the other end. "I've been calling you for hours since last night! Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been worried sick here, you know!"

"Good morning to you too, Ty," Bella moaned. "And can you please keep it down?"

Silence was all Bella heard on the other end.

"Bella… are you drunk?" Tyler whispered.

"No… I'm not drunk… but I was last night." Bella's snarky reply did not come out the way she wanted it to, but she couldn't help it.

"What the hell happened?" Tyler's voice changed from annoyed to concern quickly.

"James…" Bella moaned again in explanation. She wanted the aspirin to take affect sooner than later.

"Oh, honey," Tyler said softly. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not really." Bella chewed her bottom lip. "I just got a phone call from him and he… he was just… he's getting married."

"He's what!" Tyler exclaimed loudly, causing Bella to pull the phone away from her ear.

"To _Vicky_," her name came out in disgust. "And that's not all… she's pregnant…" she whispered, trying to keep the tears from shedding.

"Oh, Bella," Tyler sighed. "I'm so sorry, darling…" He paused before continuing. "Do you need me to come over?"

"No, I'm fine, Tyler. I promise. You spend time with your family, I-" She was cut off when she heard the distinct sounds of the radio.

"Bella?" Tyler's voice alarmed. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, she kept her focus on the radio as it began to slowly change stations. She felt her knees begin to quake when the radio finally stopped changing and settled on what seemed to be the oldies station.

"_Earth angel  
Earth angel  
The one I adore  
Love you forever  
And ever more  
I'm just a fool,  
A fool in-love with you_

_I fell for you  
And I knew  
The vision of your loveliness –"_

Once Bella found her legs again, she ran to the radio, ripped the cord out of the socket and silenced the radio. She couldn't help but feel the cold shivers run down her back after witnessing… _whatever_ that was. Then the sounds of her door bell ringing brought her back to the present.

"Bella!" Bella heard the faint sounds of Tyler from her phone. "Goddammit! Bella answer me! Fuck it, I'm on my way-"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm fine… I just got… spooked… that's all. I'm fine. Hey, I need to go… someone is at the door."

"Bella, no I am not-"Tyler tried rushed out before Bella shut the phone.

Straightening her hair, Bella walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole.

Standing on the other side of the door were the greenest eyes she had ever seen…

* * *

_Quick A/N before I go hide away in my hole: _

_To answer chapter 3 question - My favorite hobby is scrapbooking and cake decorating. I attempted starting a business but when you live in a town where there are established 'cake ladies' it is kind of hard to make a cliental. _

_Chapter 4 question: Have you ever witnessed something spooky? _

_FicRec: The Bigger They Are by _LadyExcalibur2010 _ www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6023650/1/_

_Confirmed bachelor and career soldier, Edward Cullen was perfectly happy with his life. Until a young punk busted his windshield. Suddenly, he finds himself drawn to a beautiful woman with a LOT of baggage. AH/AU_

It is a definite must read! I recently made her a banner: twitpic(dot)com/2ku3w2/full

Don't forget to follow me on twitter: labellaleigh

_*hides*_

_****9/08/10 - Ages: Charlie is 88. Before you say that is too old, it isn't. I had an uncle who lived till he was 97 and was still walking/driving etc. **  
_


	6. Chapter 5: Memories Revisited

Big thanks to Neliz for getting this chapter ready for posting today!

Disclaimer: SM Owns Twilight – However I do now own a new laptop =)

Chapter Songs

The Meadow (New Moon) – Alexandre Desplat

(Last portion of the chapter) Never Think by Robert Pattinson

OoOoOoOoO

Chapter 5: Memories Revisited

Returning from her honeymoon with her new husband, Alice Whitlock was stunned when she found out that a new neighbor had moved just down the street. Like Martha Cope, Alice had the knack to find out every little bit about who and what was going on in her town. She always wanted to be the first to greet them.

Alice was far more welcoming than the other ladies. She refused to spread vicious rumors, such as the time a small rumor –most likely started by Julie Pepper – began about Lauren Mallory's botched nose and boob job.

Well, maybe that one had a bit of truth to it, but nonetheless, those women had no shame in spreading gossip, no matter if it was true or not.

Shaking her head, she could only imagine the welcoming her new neighbor had received, or the lack there of.

Alice wasted no time in devising a plan to meet her new neighbor and potential new shopping buddy. From what she heard from the girls, Bella was a complete mystery. She just spent her time at the diner or hanging around her house. A devious smile played on Alice's scarlet colored lips when she thought of the perfect plan on introducing herself. No one could resist her grandmother's Chicken and Broccoli Casserole. She knew it was a cliché to bring a new neighbor a covered dish as a welcome, but it was a sure way to introduce herself without broadcasting that she was being nosy; which was completely what Alice was not doing…at least not intentionally.

As she walked down Timber Avenue, Alice couldn't help but remember her childhood when thinking of the two story ranch house on the corner of Oak and Timber. She remembered the times she would play with the neighborhood children and play games like Red Light, Green Light and Simon Says. The Old Chief, as everyone called him, would yell out from the front door for them to quiet it down. While all the other children were deadly afraid of Old Chief, Alice could see through the cold iciness that was Charles Swan. **NP**

Her grandmother would often comment on Alice's ability to see the good in all people, even as crazy as Charles. Alice often tried to speak with Charles, break down his shield a little bit at a time. Then one day, she found Charles sitting on the rocking chair with a weird expression on his face.

A smile...

It was the first time she had ever seen Charles Swan smile. She wanted to know what made the Old Chief so happy.

"_Hey Mr. C." Alice skipped over to the porch. "What has you all smiling today?" Her toothy grin widens. _

"_I get to see her today," Charles rasped, the hopefulness trying to escape through his voice._

"_Who?" Alice's tiny voice squeaked._

"_My little Marie," Charles smiled as he spoke her name."I get to see her today," he repeated joyfully. _

The next day, Charles was his same old self, looking at the window scowling. He didn't even bother yelling at the kids as they ran rambunctiously on the streets.

Before Alice had realized, she was walking up the porch. She could still see Charles sitting on the rocking chair while she looked at the now empty spot.

Right when Alice was about to knock on the door, she could hear the sounds of a radio blasting throughout the house and then everything went silent.

_Strange, _she thought when her fist connected with the door.

OoOoOoOoO

_Once Bella found her legs again, she ran to the radio, ripped the cord out of the socket and silenced it. She couldn't help but feel the cold shivers run down her back after witnessing… whatever that was. Then the sounds of her door bell ringing brought her back to the present._

"_Bella!" Bella heard the faint sounds of Tyler from her phone. "Goddammit! Bella answer me! Fuck it, I'm on my way-"_

_"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm fine… I just got… spooked… that's all. I'm fine. Hey, I need to go… someone is at the door."_

_"Bella, no I am not-"Tyler tried to rush out before Bella shut the phone._

_Straightening her hair, Bella walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole._

There stood a small pixie-like woman with short midnight black hair. Her bright jade eyes sparkled with excitement, almost like she would combust at any moment. And in her hands, she held a white casserole dish.

Bella thought for a moment before opening the door. She could just ignore her and hope she would be on her way, but the likelihood of that happening was slim to none.

Taking a deep breath and calming her nerves from her spooky morning event, Bella reached for the door handle and opened the door.

OoOoOoOoO

"So, right before it was time for the groomsmen to have their pictures taken, my mother received a phone call from my father. Apparently he was waiting in line at the KFC and wanted to know if we wanted anything to go."

"No!" Bella gasped while trying to keep her laughter from bubbling to the surface.

"Yes! Oh my mother was horrified. I had never seen her so angry in my life!" Alice threw her head back, laughing.

Sitting at the kitchen table, a friendship began to blossom as Bella listened to the heartwarming stories of Alice's wedding that happened just weeks before.

"So did he ever make it to the pictures?" Bella asked as she pushed aside her empty plate.

"Fortunately he did." Alice smiled. "He was given orders to be there within 5 minutes or else I was walking down that aisle without him. He made it with time to spare."

Even though Bella still suffered from her headache and the aspirin was quickly wearing off, she was able to still enjoy her time getting to know her new friend. It had been weeks since Bella had a real conversation with another woman. It was comforting to know she had someone just down the street. She also couldn't forget the introduction Alice made while making her way into her home like a small tornado.

"Hey Bella, I have a strange request… I hope you wouldn't mind me asking," Alice said once she was able to calm down from her giggle fits.

"Sure, what's up?" Bella asked.

"Well, I lived on this street all my life and when Old Chief lived here, I always wanted to take a look inside. Would you mind if I took a small tour of the place? I know it's not the same since he left, but still-"

"Sure." Bella nodded, understanding. "Just let me get these dishes washed and I'll begin our tour."

"Okay, great! Let me go make a phone call real quick." Alice smiled before sprinting towards the front door.

After closing up the door of the dishwasher, Bella turned towards the old radio. The events of earlier that morning were still fresh in her mind, especially the part of the radio practically tuning by itself. She wanted to believe that it was just an allusion; that it really did not happen. There was nothing unordinary about the radio, just that she had bought it at a yard sale earlier in the week. It was a little outdated, nothing like the fancy radios she could have bought in Target. Reaching to touch one of the tuning knobs with the tips of her fingers, Bella expected for something to happen. A spark or some sort of energy. But there wasn't any.

"Bella? You okay?" Bella snatched her hand away from the radio, almost as if it had burned her.

Controlling her breathing, Bella composed herself and walked around the corner towards the stairs, but not before she could take another glimpse at radio.

Just as Bella rounded the corner and out of sight, a tiny bird landed softly on the window seal of the kitchen. As the small mockingbird began chirping away his daily song without a care in the world, the unattended radio began to spark to life once again. The knobs slowly rotated and began to softly play…

_Oh, oh, Earth Angel, Earth Angel  
Please be mine  
My darling dear Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool A fool in love with you-uuu…_

It wasn't loud, but it was enough to spook the young mocking bird, leaving feathers floating behind.

OoOoOoOoO

Once they reached the study, Bella leaned against the door frame while her eyes immediately caught the fist sized hole in her wall. She had hoped that last night hadn't happened, that it was just a horrible dream from the time the phone rang to her small breakdown on the floor. She felt ashamed for losing it the way she did.

Alice, not noticing the hole, began to admire each of the paintings hanging up around the room. Each one had a common theme of birds, but mostly swans.

One painting leaning against the wall caught her eye. "Did you paint this?" She picked up the framed image, admiring each brush stroke across the canvas. It was of a woman in a long elegant white gown, elongated and reached out arms towards to the darkened sky… wings of some kind of bird… half bones and feathers.

It was haunting, beautiful… sad…

She looked as though she was about take flight towards the sun, even with her damaged wings.

At this point, Bella wasn't sure if she could tell Alice the truth. The paintings were indeed painted by her, but it was a secret that she had kept hidden away for years. She had finally decided to take them out of their boxes and find places around the room, hoping for inspiration. It had been almost two years since she last painted, ever since the separation with James. Her inspiration to create was a standstill while she blamed James unfaithfulness the cause of such a disruption. James was never a supporter of her hobby since it took too much time that could've been spent with him. It wasn't that Bella painted because she felt like it, she felt as if she _had_ to paint them… it was the last memory she could hold of her father and not freeze on the spot.

At the age of twelve, Bella had already painted hundreds of amateur pieces. Every painting proved to be better than the last. She never had training to paint, only by watching her father as a toddler. She would sit for hours watching him create life from a paint stroke. It was a bond that tied father and daughter together. After the death of her father, Bella found all his old paint supplies stored up in boxes during one of her mother's moves. She remembered the day Renee told her to get rid of the supplies, that there was no use for it to be held on to. Not wanting to get rid of that memory, Bella begged and pleaded with her mother not to make her get rid of them. Renee finally relented, not fully understanding the importance of the paintings. She remembered clearly the day she brushed her first stroke on the tattered canvas and completed her very first swan.

Bella didn't completely understand her strong connection to swans since she painted them for almost twelve years. Each one had their own unique style, an untold story behind them. When she told Renee she wanted to attend an art institution and expand her talent, Renee told her that being an art major was useless, that she would never stand her own.

She wanted to laugh at the irony that an English degree approved Renee's standards when she couldn't figure out what to do with her life.

Maybe it was time for Bella to open up. She had only known Alice for a few hours, but already felt a strong, trustful friendship with her.

"Yes," Bella admitted.

"All of them?" Alice pointed towards the boxes stuffed with other paintings and the ones on the walls.

"Most of them, some of them belonged to my father." It took everything she had to talk about such a sensitive subject.

"Amazing…" Alice said in awe. "Do you sell your paintings?"

"No." Bella shook her head. "I keep them to myself."

"Bella, these are incredible. My husband, Jasper, owns art studios in Port Angeles and Seattle. You have to show him these…"

"I don't know…" Bella began to shake her head.

"Oh come on, Bella. Just think about it. He's always looking for new artists and I'm sure he would love your work." Alice tried to convince her.

"Alice, it has been years since I've painted anything-"She tried to explain before Alice interrupted her.

"Whoa, wait. Years? Bella, how old _are _you?" Alice asked, trying to keep the look of shock from showing.

"I'm twenty-three." Bella shrugged, not understanding where she was going with this.

"And you've been doing this for how long?"

"Since I was twelve; so about eleven years." Bella counted mentally in her head the exact length of time.

"And they're all like this?" Alice held up the painting of the damaged wings.

"Yes, no… kind of I guess. The one your holding was one of my latest ones and that one right there," she pointed to the one hanging above her rocking chair, "Is one I painted when I was fifteen."

Alice couldn't help her jaw slacking from amazement.

"Alice, I appreciate what you're trying to do… but I just can't at this time. Maybe at another time, but right now I just want to keep these to myself a little longer. They're very special to me…" Bella couldn't help the tears from shedding.

Alice seemed to understand the hesitancy coming from Bella. She suddenly felt horrible for pushing her new friend too far.

"Bella, I'm sorry if I pushed, it's just when I see great work… I can get a little pushy sometimes." Alice carefully placed down the painting.

"It's fine." She sighed. "I'm not saying no… just give me a little more time to figure everything out. Besides, I'm sure your husband wouldn't be interested in showing a collection of birds." A giggle erupted from Bella's chest.

"Well just so you know, Jasper never says no when I'm involved. Just take it from me, when I see amazing work, I know it. – Oh my God, Bella! What happened to your wall?" Alice gasped when she noticed the hole.

Truthfully, Bella had never been so grateful for the change of subject, even when her damaged wall became the new spotlight.

"Oh, it's nothing, just had a little accident yesterday but I plan on getting that repaired soon." Bella tried to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal. "I just need to find someone…"

"Well I know just the guy that would be more than happy to help out." Alice searched through her magic purse, as Bella named it. She couldn't believe Alice would be able to find anything inside of it considering its large size. Within no time, she found the business card.

"Here you go. Call him, he's amazing and also owes me big time. Make sure you mention my name, he won't refuse." Alice smiled largely as she handed the card to Bella.

"Thanks." Bella glanced down at the card. She was certain that this card would actually come in handy for once.

OoOoOoOoO

After waving goodbye to her new friend from the porch, Bella felt relieved to be alone once again. Talking about her paintings so openly had exhausted her emotionally, mixed with the events from the day before. She opened up her cell phone to see twenty missed calls from Tyler, ten text messages and two voicemails. Text messages ranging from "_Are you okay?"_ to "_Answer your fucking phone! …please." _Typing a quick message to assure her best friend that she was indeed _fine_, Bella decided to turn her phone on silent mode for the rest of the day. She knew Tyler would be pissed to know he was being ignored, but at the time she didn't care… or least didn't want to.

The day dragged on like all the other days since she arrived. She was still waiting for a certain letter to come into the mail, one to tell her that she was really free and no longer a Holden, but a Landon once again. Soon, Bella was cooking dinner for one, pulled out her TV tray and decided to eat in front of the television.

Then around eight at night, her exhaustion finally started to settle in. Bella walked upstairs and just as she was passing her study, the box of paintings caught her eye and she froze. Walking into her study and towards the boxes, Bella fell softly to her knees in front of the worn out cardboard box. She looked at each painting, remembering the exact day she painted them. At the age of sixteen, she had a fantasy theme to her swan portraits. One consisted of a girl riding on the back of a large swan, with a mask covering her entire face.

A familiar canvas was taken out with much care, leaving the hurt to weigh down more on her shoulders. The chicken scratch signature at the bottom was barely legible, but only she knew who painted the masterpiece.

_William G. Landon – 1996_

It was the last painting she had watched her father paint, only before fate decided to be cruel and take him away… if only she had a chance to say goodbye…

OoOoOoOoO

He watched her as she slept soundlessly under the purple quilt draped across her frame. She would hug the pillow tightly to her body; almost as if she was seeking the comfort of someone, something. Sometimes she would speak, but not really. They were mostly mumbles and incoherent sentences all run together, not making a bleep of sense. _Her lips_. At times they would pucker, a long, deep breathe passing through. Then at some point during the night, they would form into a tight line as her closed eyes would narrow, causing her forehead to wrinkle. He wanted to smooth out the lines with his fingertips, take away the worries she held.

While it looked peaceful, he knew there was a raging war battling inside that beautiful girl.

He knew he shouldn't be in here. He made himself promise to stay out of it, that nothing good could come of it. For weeks he stayed away… at least he tried. He knew the rules, but if he remembered correctly, he never much followed them anyways. Perhaps he went too far today…

At first, he cursed whoever did this to him. It was as a cruel joke to dangle someone so beautiful… so familiar in front of him this way.

Hasn't he suffered enough?

His mind was still fuzzy, unable to place where he had seen her before. The name was at the tip of his tongue, only to refer to her as earth angel.

Soon, the sun began to peak from the east. He knew he didn't have much more time; he had to depart before it was too late. He had been there too long, but he knew he would keep her within his reach, even when she didn't realize it. By the time the sky began to turn orange, he bent down and slowly reached his translucent hand towards her now rosy cheeks, brushing along her cheekbones, up to her eyebrows and finally pressing his thumb across her wrinkled forehead, smoothing it back to normal.

"No worries my earth angel," he murmured softly before vanishing out of thin air, while the rays of the sun now shining through her windows.

OoOoOoOoO

_Chapter 6 is being written and saved almost every five minutes… _

_Thank you again MissAlex and Chels926 for recommending Earth Angel to their readers. _

_If you haven't, check out their stories Frontline (MissAlex) & Battle Hymns (Chels926)  
_


	7. Chapter 6: Death of a Swan

_Waves…_

_So…Hi!_

_Remember me?_

_Um…yeah. See you on other side._

**Disclaimer: SM Owns everything Twilight**

**OoEAoO**

**Chapter 6: Death of a Swan**

"I love you so much," he murmured softly, barely brushing against her awaiting lips. She was ready for him, ready to show him how much she loved him, trusted him, and_ wanted_ him. Once their lips touched, she couldn't believe the passion such a small kiss held. The only times she had heard of such feelings, they'd come from her books. And even then, those couldn't compare to this moment in time.

She could feel the hesitancy in his hands as he brought his left one to the side of her face. That move alone allowed her to open her mouth and invite his tongue to move along hers. She gripped the sides of his shirt around his waist, wanting to press every inch of her body against his. Suddenly, he broke it off and she thanked God he did since her lungs were on fire from the lack of oxygen, but it was a wonderful burn.

Looking up at him, she could see that his face was just as flushed as hers. She didn't understand why someone so perfect, would want her but the love that filled his jade irises was undeniable. Everything about him screamed man and her need for him grew as she became even more lost in his eyes.

"I love you, Marie… forever."

In the blink of an eye, Bella was no longer standing in front of her Adonis, instead she found herself sitting up too quickly while trying to catch her breath. She felt as if she was suffocating and ripped her quilt away from her body as fast as she could. She pressed her hand hard against her chest, feeling her heart beat flutter faster than ever before.

Once she was able to calm herself enough to have her breathing under control, Bella began to remember the dream she was having before waking up.

It felt real… almost too real. The mystery man who kissed her more passionately than anyone she had ever been with couldn't have only been a dream…could it? She could still taste it on her lips as if it had really happened. Bella then started to remember what the man in her dream looked like, his deep emerald orbs and how they contrasted with his messy auburn, no…copper hair. His jaw was strong and sharp, and she shamefully wanted to know what the rest of his body looked like without his shirt. A familiar blush began to color her cheeks while thinking about him. Even during her time with James, she never had a desire as strong as this one.

But the moment he said called her Marie, took all of that away. Why would she dream of her perfect man and then he suddenly called out another woman's name?

Of course her own insecurities from James would affect even in her dreams.

Just as she was about to contemplate on going back to sleep, the annoying bird chirping from her window was at it again. Bella groaned when she realized that her plans were now placed on the backburner. Bella reached for her robe and begrudgingly began her day early.

oOoOoOo

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked, hoping he had heard her correctly.

"Yup and he is so charming. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner." Bella smiled while cradling the phone to her ear.

"Wow, ok. Are you sure you're okay, Bella?" His concern was evident, considering everything that had happened the last few days.

"Look, I needed a companion. I'm not going crazy or anything. I _promise_," Bella explained. "Besides, I think you'd like him. He is such a sweetie." She stretched in her bed while her new friend curled up next to her.

"You know, I'd always figured you would be one of those cat ladies. I'm pretty sure you'll take up knitting too?" His laughter was almost full blown.

"Oh, just shut up." Bella tried not to smile, but being able to talk normally to her best friend once again was nice. She reached for the tiny Siamese kitten and rested him on her chest; his rhythmic purring filled the room.

"Well, I knew Louie was mine as soon as I saw him. At least I'm not alone anymore."

"Bella, you know you can always come home, right? I mean what exactly is holding you in Forks?"

"Tyler, we've discussed this. I need a fresh start, no matter how boring it is at this point. Once I can start my writing again, I'll be fine." Bella sighed. "And I kind of like it here in a way."

"Well, I think it's completely insane… but I trust your judgment, Bells. Just promise me this doesn't have anything to do with Jam-"

"This has nothing to do with that _asshole_. Though he may be the reason for my anger these past few days, I'm not going to let him control how I live my life." Bella snapped while trying not to raise her voice to disturb the sleeping kitten.

While it had been a few days since she had spoken to James, Bella tried her best not to let him get the worst out of her. He made the decision and had to live with it. After getting control of her emotions, Bella knew she needed to get back in contact with Tyler. The guilt she felt for ignoring Tyler had been unbearable. After everything he had done for her, she had just shut herself off from him without an explanation. But being the good friend he was, he was always forgiving.

Bella could tell the lack of communication and contact with others were starting to get to her. So after walking down the streets of Port Angeles, a window displaying cute animals caught her attention. Bella was never one to walk into pet stores, not liking the idea of pets being sold as financial gain, but one look at the crate with kittens melted her heart. And there, Louie became her companion. She had always taken care of everyone around her growing up and the idea of being able to care for something so small was what she needed.

While scratching behind the small kitten's ears, Bella told Tyler about everything that has happened in Fork's so far, from the strange encounter with Paul McKinney to Mr. C and Alice Whitlock. Tyler chuckled when she mentioned Alice and her vibrant personality.

"Well, I think you have a story, Bells. You just need to really look, I'm sure there is something out there," Tyler commented.

"Yeah, I know there is. You know what's strange? This house kind of freaks me out… like I don't know… I must be going crazy." She shook her head at the thought of the radio.

"Maybe you were just imagining things, Bella. But maybe you should really find out more about the house. You never know… paranormal activity and all." Tyler tried to sound spooky, but it only caused Bella to roll her eyes, even though he couldn't see it."

"Yeah right, like I'd ever believe in all that crap."

"You never know, Bells. Maybe you should get one of those Ouija boards-"

"Shut up, Tyler! Really, you're starting to really freak me out."

"Hey, I know writing horror or mystery isn't really your forte but maybe you should find out more about Forks. You know, find its secrets. Every small town has them." Tyler might have been messing with her before, but he knew the potential Bella had.

"I don't know Ty, it's pretty boring here. I'm pretty sure the most exciting thing to happen is a street name change."

"Just check it out. Maybe getting out of the house and doing something productive will help. Going to the café doesn't count. Explore the place. Every great writer needs to know its history before you write."

"Okay." Bella relented. It was an idea, better than what she had thought of before. "Where do you think I should look first?"

"I can't tell you that, just explore, Bella."

After hanging up the phone with Tyler, Bella needed a distraction from all the crazy ideas that Tyler had put into her head. Fixing the hole in her office was the distraction she so desperately needed. Remembering the business card Alice had given her, Bella called the number. A Mr. Black answered. After a quick conversation explaining what was needed, he was more than happy to return the favor for Alice by helping out her new friend. However, he wouldn't be able to get to there until the following day.

She began to pick up little things here and there until she came across the paintings she had out yesterday. Her father's paintings were too beautiful to just have stuffed into a large box. She wanted them proudly displayed where she could see them while working. Bella remembered that Tyler had left some of his hand tools for her to use and began to wire the canvas to be hung.

Stepping onto her step stool, Bella reached for her desired destination and stopped when she noticed something different about the ceiling. A perfect square shaped crack was barely noticeable from the paint. In the middle, a little groove sticking out just barely and a hint of gold shone through a scratch that she made. Placing down her tools, Bella ran her fingers along the raised grooves that seemed to have been painted over in a small circle.

"What the hell?"

Bella then picked at the circle before realizing it was some sort of… handle? She tried it out and began prying it from the paint and watching it fall and dangle from the ceiling. So she did the only thing she could think of doing and pulled it slightly to see if her suspicions were true.

The paint gave away from the pulling and there, a door revealed what seemed to be an attic.

A hidden attic…

She kept pulling it down until she was able to see inside of it. Built into the inside of the door, was a ladder that could be folded down. Bella stepped off her stool while unfolding the wooded ladder and letting it lean against the floor.

Bella couldn't believe that something like this was hidden away. She tested the sturdiness of the ladder, making sure it was okay to step onto. It looked to have not been used in years, but when she couldn't hear any cracking of the wood or hinges, Bella took a tentative step onto the ladder and tested her weight on it. When that seemed to have satisfy her, she then wonder if she should really climb up and look inside instead of waiting for Mr. Black to show up so he could check it out.

But her curiosity got the best of her, so she placed her other foot onto the next step and pulled herself up until she became eye level to the ceiling. It was dark from what she could see. Bella went back down to look for a flashlight and hoisted herself up onto the platform of the attic. Carefully, Bella stood up steadily; making sure floor would not give away.

"Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall…" was the mantra she kept saying to herself. She pointed the light around the room and couldn't believe the boxes and furniture that sat towards the back.

In the corner of the attic looked to be a delicate vanity that must not have been used in a number of years. Bella walked over to the vanity and glide her fingertips across the wooden surface, catching filth onto the tips. Besides the vanity was a cedar chest, covered in brown dust. It could have been white, but because of the layers of dust, she could never tell. Lifting the creaky lid of the chest up, Bella looks down at its contents, lightly blowing away some of the dust to get a better look.

Big mistake…

The dust lifted into the air, surrounding her, filling her lungs. She immediately started to gag. After her coughing fit, Bella waved her hands to dissipate any of the particles left and picked up one of the objects from the chest while pointing the flashlight towards it.

The item, wrapped in a piece of cloth, seemed to be in the shape of a book. Unwrapping it slowly from its confinement, revealed a leather bound book. On the cover seemed to be a silhouette of a swan and the initials CMS embedded into the leather. Before she could look any further into the book, Bella took a look around the attic and wondered how anyone could leave such beautiful pieces behind.

Did they belong to the last occupant of the home? Did he know about it still being there? Would he want them back?

So she decided to find out more about the house and the find who these all belong to. She could only think of one person that would be able to help her out, since she had been familiar with the previous owner.

Alice.

oOoOoOo

"So have you had any thought about the gallery opportunity yet?" Alice asked Bella as she sat down across from her and poured a cup of jasmine tea. Bella had been mesmerized while looking around Alice's beautiful kitchen that she almost didn't catch what she had said to her.

"Um, no… actually I wanted to talk to you about something else you said yesterday." Bella had no idea why she was nervous about talking about the house, but she needed to clear a few things before exploring anymore. "You said that you haven't been inside the house when the last occupant lived there… but what do you know about him?"

"Charles Swan? I know of him, but not personally. I remember growing up down the street and seeing him sit outside on the porch. Other than that I only know things my grandmother and her friends would gossip back and forth to each other." Alice's eyes narrowed as she tried to remember something significant about her old neighbor.

"Like what?" Bella was never one for hearsay, but she wanted to know.

"Ah, I know he was very quiet but apparently he had always been that way… at least that is after the murder of his daughter-"

"Murder?" Bella's voice became much higher than normal. She had to put down the steaming hot cup of tea to not burn herself.

"Oh, I forgot you don't know about that! Yeah, apparently his daughter was attacked and left to die… but this was way back in the fifties. According to my grandmother, Mr. Swan was never the same after that. He went into isolation and no one, and I mean no one could get to him."

"How sad, "Bella couldn't imagine what would have happened if someone she loved was murdered so horribly.

"Yeah, now he just hangs out at the café every morning and doesn't talk to really anyone. Some are convinced he has gone crazy, dubbing him with Mr. C."

Bella stiffened when Alice mentioned the nickname.

Mr. C from the café was the last occupant of the home.

"But that's all I really know. I guess he finally got tired of living alone in that house and went off to the retirement home. I was actually surprised that he did decide to leave but I guess he could only deal with the memories of his daughter there. I know he gave my grandmother a few items to hang on to." Alice finished.

Sitting there, Bella thought about everything Alice had just told her. She felt guilty for any ill thoughts she had towards the old man when thinking about how lonely he had to be. She then started to think about the daughter. Who was she? What happened to her? Who would do such a thing? And why would Charles Swan finally move out of his house almost fifty odd years later. All these thoughts were swimming around her head and she knew needed to write all of them down.

"Alice, where was the girl murdered?" She was afraid she already knew the answer, but had to ask anyways.

"In the utility shade, behind your house."

_____________________________________________________________________________________oOoOoOo_

Returning home, Bella couldn't get everything that Alice had said out of her mind. As she allowed curiosity to get the better of her and before she could change her mind, Bella walked by side of the house toward the backyard. When she reached the end, Bella gazed at the utility shed that still stood in the back. When she took a step forward, a swift wind blew by, startling her. With that, Bella couldn't help but hurry back into the house, locking the door behind her.

As she pressed her back against the door, paranoia was already setting in.

She started pacing back and forth in the hallway while she tried to quiet the screaming of her heartbeat from her ears. It was deafening and would not go away.

Murder…

The idea that something so… horrendous had happened in this very house, in the place she had made her home, made Bella's stomach curl. She could only imagine what had happened to the Swan girl.

She then realized that for some odd reason, she needed to know more. Bella loaded up her laptop and began searching for the murder that happened in the late fifties. So far, not much had turned up, except for a few articles of the rising Seattle crime. When that wouldn't work, Bella entered Charles Swan's name into the search bar in hopes of some kind of biography that might help.

Clicking on the first link that matched his name, Bella took a close look at the picture that popped up on the screen. It was an older picture of a man in his thirties maybe early forties. He looked nothing of the man from the café but she recognized the eyes. She would have remembered those eyes anywhere. A sudden déjà vu went through her mind and she had to shake her head to get a better focus. But right there was Charles Swan –young with a trimmed mustache and crinkled laugh lines around the eyes. The biography was simple. He was born February 8th, 1922 in Seattle, Washington. He was married to a Sue Clearwater and had one daughter. Nowhere did it mention her name or the fact that a murder had happened. Finally, the sun started to set, indicating that she had been at this for hours now. The rain began to fall heavily, leaving her internet to start slowing down considerably. So, she tried one last attempt in an internet database called Fork's Times, claiming to have records of most articles from the last seventy years.

And there, the title that had chills rolling down her spine.

**A Death of a Swan in Forks**

Daughter of Police Chief found murdered in home.

The sudden coldness that Bella had felt numerous times was back. A loud thundering crack caused Bella to scream, jump from her seat, and fall onto the floor. Darkness had now taken over, leaving Bella motionless where she now sat on the living room floor. She could feel her heart beat through her own ears and could barely see anything around her. Ever so often, the lightening from the storm would brighten her entire home, and then would leave her incased in darkness. Next to her, Bella could hear Louie hissing towards kitchen and the low rumble in his chest. Something was freaking out her cat and when she looked towards kitchen, lightening once again lit up the room, revealing a tall dark figure standing close by.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________OoEAoO_

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**I'm back… I promise not to stray away that long again. **_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**No excuses other than life sucks… gotta go with the flo with what you are given. **_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**Follow me on Twitter: labellaleigh**_

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**And don't forget to let me know what you think! **_

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**OH! I found out that I have been nominated for my FIRST award *happy dance***_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**So thank you whoever nominated me for The Twinklings Walk of Fame Awards for Hidden Gem. If you would please vote for Earth Angel or any other story that you love.**_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**FicRec: The Last Breath by FirstBlush –COMPLETE**_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5938469/1/The_Last_Breath**_


	8. Chapter 7: Breathe

_Please note that I do not own Twilight and it's characters. I just put them in crazy situations for my own amusement. _

Chapter Song: Breathe Me by Sia

*ahem* Enjoy...

Chapter 7 - Breathe

The plunge of darkness surrounded her and only things heard were the sounds of her heart beat, along with the thundering growl of the kitten beside her. Lightning stroke, showing what appears to be a man in her kitchen.

_No,_ Bella mouthed soundlessly. She couldn't even get a scream out from her chest and fainted, but not before noticing his hauntingly beautiful face.

oOoOoOo

"_Come on!" She giggled, "Catch me!" The beautiful brunette yelled out behind her. The dress she wore catching on to the tall grass, and her hair tangling around her neck as she ran through the field. She could sense he was catching up behind her. She knew he was fast but loved the chase. He would catch her eventually, but she still wanted this child-like play that they enjoyed so much. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her waist and threw himself on his back, making sure she was safe from any harm._

"_Caught you," he breathed out, trying to catch his breath. Looking up, he couldn't help the earth shattering smile that formed on his lips. She was beautiful. He brushed his thumb along her flushed cheek bones and watched as her chocolate brown eyes flutter close from his touch._

_Heaven, he murmured in awe of her. Absolute heaven. _

"Marie," the man whispered as he looked down at the woman on the floor. Now he remembered her. He felt ashamed of himself. How had he forgotten her?

It had been so long, and he couldn't possibly ever dream of this happening. She was the exact replica of her. From the color of her hair, the color of porcelain on her skin, the rosy tint on her cheeks… down to the slope of her neck and the sound of her voice. She was Marie… but how?

Ever so softly, he touched her cheekbones and wished to God to let him _really_ touch her. She was _right there_. But he couldn't… at least supposed to. It was against the rules.

_Damn the rules, _he thought.

Was she created to haunt him, when it should be he?

He never knew what happened to her, after everything… he was afraid that it would be another lifetime before he could ever be with Marie again.

But his memories were still fuzzy. He still didn't understand how he ended up like this and not Marie.

Was she saved? Was this _woman_ related to her in some way? Or could it all just be fate?

"Owe," she moaned.

It looked like he was about to get his answer. After all these weeks of watching her, he wanted to know _who _she really was, and maybe she would remember when she looked at him… really looked at him.

Her eyes slowly fluttered opened, revealing the chocolate brown eyes he was once so familiar with.

_Please… remember…_he silently begged licking his lips before biting the bottom. A habit he caught on from Marie from all those years ago.

Her eyes began to focus on his…

It was too late for him to disappear now… _here goes nothing._

oOoOoOo

The room was still incased in the darkness but she could see from the corner of her eyes the soft glow of her laptop toppled over on the floor. Was she imagining this? Bella focused on his eyes, the mixture of blues and greens calmer her even more. How could it be him? The man from her dreams? Everything was exactly what she dreamed of, the sharp lines of his jaw and the perfect disarray of his hair. It _was _him.

"It's you," she whispered but as soon as the words left her lips, the realization that a strange man was in her house, hit her like a ton of bricks. No matter how beautiful he looked or how familiar he was, she still didn't know him. His beautiful face contorted in confusion as he watched her eyes widen and began to scoot backwards.

"Wh-who are you!" She screamed as she tried to stand up. Slowly, he stood up along with her, towering over her.

"Marie… I…" He took a step towards her, only to cause Bella to step back. "You know me… I'm-"

"I don't know who the hell you are!" Bella yelled "All I know is that _you_ are in _my _house! Get out of here!"

"It's me, Marie, E-"He tried to tell her.

"Stop it! Stop calling me Marie! I'm not her!"

"But you are… you have to be… You-" his soft, calm voice almost caused her defense to falter more and more each time he spoke. She wouldn't give in though. Opening up the door, she turned to the man and glared.

"I won't say it again. Get OUT!"

But he just stood there, tilting his head to the side with the same expression of confusion. How could she _not _be Marie? Everything about her was, even the spitfire radiating from her. The same tiger locked up in this small kitten.

"I'll call the police! Now just get out!" Without thinking, she boldly reached out to grab his wrist but when her hand went straight through, she froze.

If he could breathe, he'd be holding his breath right now. She knew. He wasn't the same as before and she would reject him. He didn't care what she said, she was Marie. She was his.

"Wh- hat the-"Bella reached for his pale arm again with her finger tips and watched as her fingers passed through nothing. She could feel something, energy, but nothing like she felt before. She quickly withdrew her hand as if she was burned and stepped away from him.

"What the hell are you?" Her voice was calm, too calm. She looked up at the man, taking in his appearance. He looked human, but he wasn't. His pale skin was almost translucent looking, even in the dark. His clothes were worn looking from his ragged jeans to his black leather jacket. His face, his oh so beautiful face had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in days… maybe never.

"I figured that would get your attention," his voice was now cold, chilling down her spine. If she was scared before, it was nothing like she was now. He looked to the side and up towards the ceiling, bringing light back into the house.

Bella knew she needed to get out of the house. Before she could even turn all the way around, the door slammed shut and the sound of locks turning startled her. She was like a trapped animal with nowhere to run except towards the stairs, so she ran. She prayed her legs would cooperate and not fail her now. Bella wasn't even up to the top before she ran into something hard and arms wrapped around her so she wouldn't fall backwards down the stairs. She looks up and noticed it was him. She pushed hard against him to get free, but then to realize she wasn't going through him like before. To test it out again, she pushed against him again and froze.

"How did you do that?" Her words rushed out without thinking first, "How did you do that? You were… I could…" She could hardly wrap her head on what was going on.

"I will answer what I can, but you have to stop running," he said softly, a complete one-eighty from before. Bella nodded her head without hesitation and let out a breath that she had been holding for god knows how long. He stepped away from her, giving her room to breathe and not feel more threatened than she already did. He hated that she was feeling so trapped, but having her run out in hysterics was the last thing he ever wanted. She wanted answers. But he wanted answers too. Why did this girl have her face? What right did she have to have it when she says she wasn't Marie?

After being able to collect herself, Bella made her way back down stairs and began to make herself a cup of coffee. She could feel the heat of his stare on her as she rigidly pours the coffee. Bella's hands kept shaking, unable to keep the mug steady in her hands. At a last minute decision, she reached for the cabinet and pulled out one of the bottles of Whiskey, generously pouring into her cup.

"Would you like a cup?" Bella tried to break the silence.

He stood there, smirking at her question. "No, thank you." Her heart skipped a beat when hearing his voice.

"More for me," she sighed, sipping on her beverage while willing herself to calm down.

Settling herself on the couch while keeping a good distance away from him, Bella took a few deep breaths and watched as he sat down on the love seat across from her.

"Okay, first I need to know. What are you doing in my house?" Bella thanked the stars for booze at this moment. Without it, she would have been in hysterics.

"I live here, of course," he answered nonchalantly. This caused Bella to scoff.

"No, you don't. Trust me; I would know if anyone else lived here besides me."

"Then you don't pay enough attention, Marie." A smile played on his lips; he knew he was being stubborn.

That information caused Bella to freeze. Has he been in her house before? Did he watch her? Did he-"

"Stop." He winced, "You're taking that the wrong way. And no I didn't see you naked. Though that robe of yours is quite revealing, might want to invest in something more… " he thought about what he was going to say "appropriate if you are going to answer the door to total strangers."

This caused Bella to blush and took a gulp of her Irish coffee, almost emptying it. She would need a refill, of that she was sure.

"Okay, well… what's your name?"Bella figured she needed to start off with the small questions and work her way up to the deeper ones. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

"My name… is Edward" He left it at that.

"Edward," Bella murmured softly, testing out his name on her lips. Edward was such a regal name and somehow, it seemed to fit him.

"Wh-who is Marie?" Bella asked. She remembered him called her that before, he was almost adamant that _she _was Marie.

Edward looked at her, with a grieving expression on his face. He wanted her to remember who she was. She was Marie. _His girl._ But he knew, somewhere deep down inside himself, that she was never nor would ever be her.

"Pass." He looked away from Bella, the image of the likeness between the two were almost heartbreaking for him.

"Um, what exactly are you?" She moved on from the Marie question, sensing he wasn't going to answer her.

Edward thought about it for moment. He wanted to keep his true self hidden from her, afraid she wouldn't understand. She would just run from him.

"What are your theories?" Edward questioned back.

Bella was taken aback by his question. She had no idea where to begin with her theories and some of them sounded crazy, even to her.

"Well, I was certainly able to go through you. So, my first guess would be a ghost, but then you… you changed." Her eyebrows knitted together. "How was that possible? This is just insane." She was now mostly talking to herself as she placed her head in her hands, which were warm from the coffee mug.

"How would that be insane?" Edward asked her.

"Are you? Are you a ghost….But I didn't think ghosts could…" It was getting more and more confusing for Bella.

"No… at least not the kind you are thinking of."

Bella sat there, trying to make sense of everything Edward was telling her. She knew she was supposed to run now, get as far of way as possible. But she couldn't. Not because of the fear he would stop her once again, but something inside her told her to stay put. Hear his story. And wait.

But ghosts? _This is just insane,_ Bella thought. She must have hit her head and was hallucinating, or at least dreaming.

"I- I don't believe this." Bella stood up with her empty mug, walked towards her kitchen and poured herself more of the whisky, only without the coffee.

"Are you sure that is healthy for you?" Edward eyed her carefully, trying to understand what exactly was going through her mind. Bella looked down at her mug and let out a humorless laugh.

"Yup, I am now sure I am dreaming. I can't believe a ghost is asking about my alcohol intake. Why don't you go haunt someone else or whatever is you do?" At this point the whisky had thrown out any and all inhibitions. When she looked up at Edward, all joking stopped. Edward stood there, motionless. His eyes were cold as he glared at her. If looks could kill, she was a goner.

"Don't talk as if you know what you're talking about. You know _nothing_." Edward's voice was calm, too calm and cold. Bella just barely nodded her head while unconsciously rubbing her hands over her jean clad thighs, not knowing what to do at this point.

"I'm sorry." She looked away from his glare briefly, before returning to her couch. Edward lessened the tautness from his jaw, running his hands through his hair, his own nervous habit that was never lost, even after all these years. He was frustrated. This woman was obviously not his Marie. His Marie wouldn't have been so careless with her body or speak so ill towards someone, even when they deserved it.

"So if you are not a ghost, than what…" She trailed off; wondering if knowing was the best thing. If she was dreaming, wouldn't she want to know? It was like she was creating her own story, dragging out the suspense that would soon drop like a bomb. Maybe she didn't want it revealed… maybe not knowing was the better alternative. She then thought about what her father would tell her before tucking her into her bed at night, when make believe was a child's endless story book. Anything could happen, only if she believed it enough. William would tell her about the angels and how they were the guardians of this Earth. He would then speak of how they had the powers to control everything around us, even how we felt.

Then the flashbacks of the past three weeks: The mystical wind, the calmness that would take over her without explanation, the radio… earth angel…

"Angel," she breathed.

Keeping his face blank, he hesitantly nodded. She had figured it out. At least… almost all of it.

"Wh-why are you here then…"

"Well, I guess you can say that I'm on a… special assignment." Edward huffed, standing up from the chair and walking towards the window.

"And what assignment is that? Does it have to do with me?" Bella asked hurriedly, wanting to know the answers.

"I don't know," he murmured, leaning again the glass with his arm.

"What do you mean '_I don't know'_?" Bella asked with annoyance but then backed away when Edward whipped around with fiery eyes, almost nose to nose with her.

"It is _exactly_ what I meant… I. _don't. _know!" His voice rose louder than he meant to, immediately regretting how he acted towards Bella.

"I'm sorry," he gasped out, taking a step back. "I shouldn't have… I said too much. I need to go…"

"What? No!" Bella yelled out. "Wait! I still have more questions!" She pleaded for him to stay.

"I'm sorry, Bella…" Edward said before fading away.

Bella stood there motionless, watching the last of Edward disappear into thin air. She wasn't sure what had exactly happened that night. Whether it was a dream or whatever it was, it didn't set right with her.

oOoOoOo

After Edward disappeared before her, Bella couldn't help but feel unsettled. She began to pick up around the house, trying to keep busy. When she reached for her laptop on the floor, she could tell from the flashing orange that it was about to die.

_What did he mean special assignment? _She asked herself; knowing the answer would never come

Bella picked up the laptop and sat it beside her. Louie returned from the hallway, his tail almost doubled in size.

"Come here babe," she cooed, motioning for her kitten to jump on her lap. Louie leapt from the floor and head butted her while letting his motorboat run. The sounds were soothing to Bella, causing her to drift off while rubbing Louie's black fur.

Looking back towards the laptop, the article that she was so busy looking for before was still there. Sitting up, while disturbing Louie from his sleep, Bella quickly scanned through the article. In no time, she found the name she was looking for. All color now leaving her face, while everything that happened in just the last few hours hit her forcibly. The name that Edward kept insisting was hers. The name that proved that she was not dreaming, that what just happened, Edward, wasn't a dream. Not even close.

_"Marie", _she breathed.

* * *

**AN**: **Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! Sorry for the delay, but I am settling in my new life as a Navy Wife. The motto: Hurry up and Wait... and that is exactly what i've been doing for months now. But now I'm back and writing! **

**FIC REC: Return by my Side by **IngenueFic www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5803677/1/Return_to_My_Side

A fic that I stumbled upon that has re-interest me back to reading fanfiction. I love it and so will you.


	9. Chapter 8: You Found Me Part I

**A/N: **

**So I had a few questions that I've been messaged about. **

**First off, what is Bella's last name? **_**Isabella "Bella" Marie Landon (formally Holden). No, not Swan. **_

**Charlie? **_**Well he is referenced as different names: Mr. C, Old Chief, Charles… and so on. He is the same person. **_

**What is Edward? **_**Well, Bella came up with Angel, but Edward never really confirmed it. That will be answered in time… =)**_

**Why haven't you updated regularly? **_**Well, RL has been crazy. I recently moved to another state and dealing with that. I'm getting there… I promise. It's a slow process to get use to a new place, just like Bella here. It's lonely and getting the inspiration to write is a rarity. **_

**I apologize for the wait. Hopefully the next chapter will be quick. Chapter 9 is already in the works. So enjoy =)**

Chapter Song: No Sound but the Wind by Editors

Chapter 8: You Found Me

PART I

Days went by and Charles had still not seen the little brunette, which caused him to worry. He had become accustom to walking into the diner and seeing her sweet face across the room. Charles was disappointed on how attached he'd become with someone he didn't know. He was about to stand up and leave, when someone sat down in the seat across from his. Looking up, he was met with steal blue eyes that belonged to Paul McKinney. Stiffening, Charles settled back into his seat and clinched his jaw. He never liked the man, even when he was just a teenager.

"Charles, it's been awhile." Smiling, Paul removed his gray hat and placed it on the table. "How are things at your new place?"

"Cut the bullshit McKinney, you know I'm too old to deal with your ramblings." Charles wasn't one for small talk and dealing with Paul was not on his list of things to do that day.

Quirking his bushed eyebrow, Paul pulled out his pack of cigarettes and continued to light one up in the middle of the diner. Charles narrowed his eyes at him and noticed the bastard never really changed a bit. Just like his father, reckless and trouble.

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Paul leaned back into the booth and laughed humorlessly.

"Well, well, well... Charles, looks like you haven't completely gone crazy." He chuckled darkly. "Always been the same get to the point."

"Again McKinney…get to the point or else I'm outta here."

"Fine then, well as you know I'm sure of the talks going around that we have a new resident. Isabella Landon." Charles tried to keep a stoic expression on his face, but Paul caught it.

"So, you do know who I'm talking about. Must have seen her… did you get a sense of _familiarity_ about her?" Paul took another drag and blew out more smoke. He was taunting him and Charles knew it. So he stayed quiet, not wanting to deal with this discussion.

"Well, no one seems to know anything about her. Who is she, where she's from, what she's doing here… you know the usual questions. But, I do know that she recently bought a certain house on the corner of Oaks and Timber…"

Charles felt his fists tight in a grip.

"I mean really, Charles. Don't you find it even a little _odd_ that Isabella looks so much like-"

"Don't," Charles said firmly. "Don't you dare say her name."

"Struck a nerve did I Charles?" Paul chuckled. "Well then, I'll just leave that little piece of information for you."

He watched as Paul stood and snuffed cigarette on top of the plate that Charles was just eating off. Paul pulled his hat back on.

"Remember the deal we had, Charles." And with that, Paul walked out of the diner, leaving behind the sound of the bell.

"Mr. C?" Angela looked at Charles with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright, sir?"

Charles finally let himself relax and smiled kindly at Angela. "I'm fine, dear," he lied through his teeth. He wasn't fine and probably never would be.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bella felt on edge since the moment Edward appeared. While the article gave barely any information other than the victim's name, Bella now had a whole new set of questions. And honestly, it was getting almost too much to handle. She hadn't seen Edward since the day he disappeared. For the past few days she would call out his name in hopes he would respond in some way. She thought about going into the attic again and seeing if there were old newspapers left behind that could help her.

So, she called Alice over to discuss what she found, while keeping quiet about Edward. She didn't need to be seen as crazy. That would have her kicked out of this town.

"This is insane," Alice said in awe as she looked around the attic. "I've heard of secret doorways but a secret attic?"

Walking over towards the chest, Bella let in a deep breath before opening it up.

"I've never heard of it either. This is beyond anything I've ever thought could happen," Bella agreed.

"So, do you think Charlie forgot about everything here?" Alice asked.

"I don't know." Bella thought of it for a moment. "I would think he wouldn't want to leave everything behind but then again… he might not have wanted this found. Maybe he had hoped it would be overlooked."

Bella pulled out a book and rummaged through the items inside the chest. There were mainly papers and other notebooks, sketch pads and little trinket boxes. All that had to belong to Marie.

"This is just sad," Alice murmured while running her hands over the old clothing. "He must have kept everything of hers."

"What I don't get is why would he keep it? I know of some people holding onto personal effects of their loved ones but this guy kept _everything_."

"Hey! Look over here!" Alice exclaimed. Bella walked over to where Alice was standing, when a stack of papers in her hands.

"These look like news articles and I think they have something about Marie."

Pointing the flashlight on the paper, Bella could feel her heart racing. This was it. The answers she'd been looking for.

"Oh my god… poor dear." Alice would whisper as they read the article together. It wasn't hard to guess the brutality of the murder that had happened to Marie Swan. Since Edward seemed to know who Marie was, she had hoped to find his name somewhere in the article. Maybe a relative or a friend. But nothing.

"Hey, wait… that's odd." Alice murmured.

"What?" Bella asked.

"They mentioned my grandmother… Mary Alice Brandon… I didn't know she was close with the Swan family." Alice tried to remember any conversations her grandmother would have whenever the subject of the Swan girl's death happened.

"Really?" Bella's eyes widen. "Is she… I mean…"

"Alive?" Alice finished for her. "Of course, around and kicking."

"Hey, what's that?" Alice asked, pointing towards the worn out book in Bella's hand. Bella looked down at the book and flipped through the worn pages, written words in elegant cursive penmanship.

"I'm thinking it's a diary, maybe it belonged to Marie?" Bella questioned.

"Well, what does it say?" Alice placed down the forgotten newspapers and stood beside Bella to get a good look at the book. Before Bella could speak, the sounds of Lady Gaga's _Telephone _started to play.

"Oh, shit!" Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out her iPhone. "I am so sorry. This will just take a minu- Jazz just a moment," Alice answered. "Wait… Jazz…hello… I can't hear… hold on… I said just hold it!"

Alice pulled the phone over her chest and took a deep breath before speaking to Bella. "I gotta go back down to talk. I'll be back."

After Alice retreated down the ladder and down the stairs, Bella looked down at the diary and took a cleansing breath. Of all the items in the attic, Bella felt more of a pull to this book. If it was Marie's diary, Bella didn't know if it was right to read her most private and personal thoughts, even if she was no longer around. Tucking the book under her arm, Bella made her way down the ladder and towards her bedroom.

Sitting on her bed, Bella laid the book on her lap and ran her fingertips along the swan and initials _CMS_.

"Wait a second," Bella spoke quietly to herself. CMS? "Who's CMS?"

It wasn't long until her question was answered.

"That's Marie's." Bella was startled when she heard his voice expectantly.

Leaning against the door frame of Bella's bedroom was Edward. He still had on the same denim pants, white shirt and black leather jacket. He looked impeccable and Bella seemed to have forgotten how to breath at that moment. The instant pull to him was there, but she would stay strong and stay where she was at.

"Edward," Bella whispered while standing up. "You're back."

Edward nodded his head once and then pushed himself off the doorframe.

"Yeah," Edward couldn't seem to say anything else for his disappearance. In reality, this was completely out of his element.

"Um," Bella tried to form the words but didn't know how to for some reason. "Then why does it say CMS?"

Edward looked away. The memories have been coming and going for the past week. Talking about Marie was difficult in and of itself, but talking about Marie to someone who looked so much like her, was much harder than he could have ever imagined. Bella noticed the hesitancy, so she sat down quietly, and gave him the time to gather his thoughts.

"She was born Catherine Marie Swan," he finally said before letting a smile play on his lips. "But she hated her birth name. Said she wasn't good enough to have such a beautiful name and that plain ol' Marie suited her just fine." Bella watched as his eyes sadden and his smile disappeared. "But she wasn't… she was the most beautiful, kind, amazing woman-"Edward stopped himself before he could feel himself lose it.

"You loved her," Bella stated without question. Edward's eyes met hers and she could feel the intensity and fire that radiated off him.

"With all my heart," Edward whispered.

Feeling uneasy with how he was looking at her, Bella shifted her eyes down to the diary and took an unsteady breath.

"If you… I mean… how do you…" The words were not coming easy for her ever since the discovery of supernatural entered her life.

"She was… _everything _to me," Edward answered her unspoken question.

"So you're from her time… or were you always like this?" Bella asked.

"No," he said immediately. "I didn't know Marie for long before-" He motioned to himself "-this happened."

"And what is _this?" _Bella motioned towards Edward the same way he did.

"I want to show you something," Edward said immediately. "Tonight? I don't have time… I need to…"

"Yes," Bella said with no hesitation. "Where?"

"There's a clearing, not far from here. There's something I want… no… _need_ to show you there. Trust me, you'll know. Just go with your instincts."

"What? But, I don't know this area well… how am I supposed to find you?" Bella asked hurriedly.

"Just trust me." Edward smiled. "Just trust." And with that, Edward was gone.

Sitting there dumb founded that Edward had shown up, Bella looked back down at the diary. Maybe just a little peek, she thought.

"Hey, Bella!" Bella looked up to see Alice standing exactly where Edward was just at.

_Oh shit! Alice!_ She had forgotten that Alice was still here and now wondered if Alice saw or heard anything that had just happened in Bella's room.

"Yeah?" Bella tried to compose herself, letting a small smile show.

"Sorry about that, Jasper was just calling me to see if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Um, I kind of had plans already… but if I didn't I would have loved to. I'm sorry." She really did felt sorry. Alice was one of her only friends in the town and she didn't want to come off as rude.

"Oh, it's fine. But hey, next time right?" Alice smiled widely.

"Definitely, thanks for your help Alice," Bella said sincerely.

After walking her to the door, Bella waved goodbye to her friend. Bella leaned against the door, and took in a long, deep breath, trying to make sense of everything. When she looked towards the kitchen, Bella noticed the diary sitting on top of the table. It wouldn't have looked out of place if she had put it there to begin with. She remembered clearly the book was sitting on top of her bed, where she left it.

"Edward?" She called out, but no answer. "Come on now, this isn't funny." She swallowed the lump in her throat when she was met with more silence. Bella walked cautiously towards the kitchen. For the first time, Bella lifted the cover and unto the first page, where she was met with a photograph.

"What the-"Bella began to say when she took notice of the woman inside the picture. Right there, Bella was staring at a photo of herself… only it wasn't her.

"Edward!" Bella screamed out, panicking. "This shit isn't funny… tell me what's going on… why… why is there-"She began to hyperventilate and taking steps away from the diary. If that photo was indeed Marie, then somehow, Bella was the spitting image of her. She then started to think back to Charles in the diner, why he would always look at her with familiarity. Bile began to rise in her throat and she kept it down the best she could. That was why Edward kept calling her Marie, why he kept looking at her the same way as Charlie. Bella reminded them of her, she was bringing back pain into the lives of others who were affected from the tragedy.

Without a second thought, Bella shut the book closed, grabbed her keys and ran out the door. She needed to see Edward. _Now… _

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N: _

_Fic Rec: Suspicions: The Tale of the Maybe Vampire by _IrishLoveForever

_wwwDOTfanfictionDOTnet/s/6126224/1/Earth_Angel_

_It's been awhile since I've asked a chapter question, so here we go._

_Have you ever kept a secret from someone? If so, did you feel it was the best at the end? _


	10. Chapter 9: You Found Me Part II

**A/N: **

**Hi…**

***waves***

**I'm still here…**

***blushes***

**See you at the bottom . . . explanation will be there…**

**Chapter Song: Nothing Else Matters by Scala & Kolacny Brothers**

**www(DOT)repeatmyvids(DOT)com/watch?v=kTvN4pExX7g&kmdom=youtube**

**Chapter 9 – You Found Me II**

PART 2

Bella looked around the clearing, not sure how she ended up there. She remembered driving towards town, passing the welcoming sign just outside Forks and then pulled to the side of the road when she found a little sign called "Trust Creek." The words Edward whispered to her just barely an hour before. "_Just trust…" _he said. And now there she was, after walking along a small path and listening to the sounds of water from the creek.

When she reached the clearing, no words would ever be able to describe how beautiful it was. Lavenders, blues, pinks and yellow were scattered across, and just to the left a tall Live Oak tree sat, with a swing hanging off one of the branches. There was a slight breeze, just enough to slightly rock the swing back and forth. Bella imagined lovers spending their spring afternoons here, summers by the creek and moving love under the moonlit sky.

A smile played on her lips, as she walked towards the tree. Dropping the diary on the greenest grass below, Bella settled herself on the swing, testing the strength of the ropes before pushing herself with her feet, and letting the swing just move. For the first time since she moved here, Bella felt the peace she was hoping to find.

The place was calming, peaceful, like twilight zone. Nothing mattered, and all her thoughts and troubles just disappeared, traveling down the stream to an unknown. The swing began to slow, Bella leaned her head against the rope and took in the sounds of the birds, water and swaying in the trees.

Bella reached down to the diary, opening up to the first page like earlier before. The picture was still there, taunting her as she looked at the photo thoroughly. A shiver ran down her back and she decided to turn the next page and read.

_September 13__th__, 1957 11:25 pm_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is my seventeenth birthday and you were given to me as a present from my Grand-Mama Kathleen. She told me to record all my hopes and dreams, even my secrets down. Well, I will tell you this Diary, I do not or never will have hopes and dreams again. Those childish things were taken away and are never to be mine again. But enough on the heavy. Secrets, oh the secrets I hold. But another time Diary, in due time. _

_As I said, today I turn seventeen and I am spending it with my grandparents in Los Angeles, California. The sun kissing on my skin had been the highlight of my trip, but I am homesick for the rain. I miss the rolling of clouds and the darkening. Soon, the rain would fall and I could feel myself go to sleep, just hearing the rhythmic pitter-patter on the tin roof._

"_Stop that insufferable daydreaming, child. Straighten up, no slouching!" My Aunt Carman would snap at me. But that is all I have left as I wait for this trip to end and my return home begins._

_But the rain is all that will welcome me home. Other than that, I have my dearest of friends Mary Alice to lean on. Port Angeles School of Girls was awaiting my return as well, but that I could wait for a little while longer. _

_Now I lay my head down, and try once again, to sleep without the nightmares that are waiting for me in the darkness. _

_Bonne nuit, Cher ami._

_Marie_

Bella turned the delicate page to the next and immersed herself into the words that Marie had written so many years before.

_September 14__th__ 4:17 am_

_Dear Diary,_

_My nightmares have come back once again. I can feel the hands, the breathing, the noises… I'm afraid to lay my head back down. So instead I light a candle and begin to read from my poetry book. It is the only activity that will calm me, but I'm afraid that it will not do. _

_So wish me luck Cher Ami,_

_Marie_

Bella closed the book, thinking about the words Marie had written. She held secrets and from what she read so far, she hadn't mentioned Edward.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" His melodic voice rang out, causing Bella to sharply turn towards the sound, only to see no one.

She could feel her heartbeat begin to quicken and took long deep breaths to calm herself down. His voice did this to her, made her heart race and her palms a sweaty mess. Feelings she couldn't describe and could feel it deep within her bones it almost hurt.

"E-Edward?" She called out once she found her voice.

When no one responded, Bella opened the diary once again, going towards the middle instead.

_March 28, 1958_

_Dear Diary,_

_Oh wonderful news. I have met a man the other night while I went to find my cousin at the drive in. Tanya and her sisters were at her usual warpath for guys and being fairly indecent on how they decided to go out. Hiking their skirts above their knees, oh what hussies they were. But I had to be nice to them, according to my father. I hadn't been out for an evening in over two years and the crowd began to make me feel uncomfortable I carried my strawberry shake and spotted Irina with a man leaning against her. I could feel myself blush at the sight and lowered my eyes as I walked towards them. Oh how I regretted doing so… or un-regrettably deciding how you see it, I ran into a man and fell on top of him! I thought I was going to have a panic attack, I could feel my chest begin to tighten and then I looked down. His eyes, neither green nor blue, reflected back at me. The tightening began to loosen and my heart began to race. I did not know how to control my feelings as I had no idea what they were! He was beautiful, that is, if you could call a man such a feminine description. I noticed I was still on top of him and was lifted from him. The hands that were wrapped around my arms almost caused me to scream. I looked up and noticed Tanya's death stare and shaking her head. I had no idea why she was giving me such haughty looks until I looked at the man I ran into._

_Beautiful didn't even begin to describe him. His hair, penny like, and his jaw as sharp as a knife. That was then I noticed his face and how angry he looked._

_I had forgotten about my strawberry shake and it landed all over his jacket! I grabbed the napkins that had fallen on the ground and began to clean up my mess. When he pushed me away and yelled at me, I thought for sure he would do something… I wasn't sure but I apologized and ran. _

_How embarrassing! _

_I hid myself behind the concession stand building and tried my very best to keep my cries down. When I looked up to footsteps heading my directions, I noticed it was him, the boy I ran into only without his jacket on. I began to speak, no idea what was coming out of my mouth and I noticed the two white cups in his hands. His face was no longer angry, but soft and gentle. _

_His name is Edward and I remembered the warnings my father would give me about boys like him. Maybe… just maybe I can be different with him. I no longer have to be the Afraid Marie any longer. So I played it cool, as some of the teens here would say and introduced myself. _

_For hours we spent chatting about our backgrounds. I felt like I could just open up to him. But never will I tell him my secret. No, I lock that up just as I've been taught. _

_It would be the only way for me to be normal. _

_-Marie _

_So this was how they met,_ Bella thought. They were just teenagers, enjoying a night out and fell in love.

Pinching her eyebrows together Bella, looked around the area, in hopes Edward would show up. That was when she noticed the engravings in the tree next to her. Standing up from the swing, Bella got closer to the carved letters for a better look.

_EAM+CMS_

She touched the letter E with her fingertips and knew. This was what Edward wanted to show her. He wanted her to know just how special Edward and Marie were to each other. From the diary entry, Bella knew then that Edward and Marie were in love, even from the moment they met.

"It's still a little fuzzy sometimes," his voice surprised her once again. Turning around with a gasp, Bella backed into the tree when she noticed just how close Edward was to her. "I should be able to, I loved her. But once I grab hold of a memory, it disappears."

The sun began to set behind him, leaving a golden glow around him. He stepped forward, gently removed a piece of Bella's hair from her mouth and shoulders, tucking it behind her ears. She shivered with his cool whispering touch and was thankful for the tree behind her as a support. Fluttering her eyes open again, Edward took a step back, waiting for her to react.

Seeing Bella caused Edward to forget that she wasn't and never will be his Marie. But there was something about Bella that made him draw to her. No matter how hard he tried to stay away, he just couldn't. Maybe… just maybe there was a little bit of Marie in her. But not likely.

"Wh-what?" Bella asked. She had questions for him. She wanted to demand answers for why her face was inside a book dated 50 years prior. But the blues and greens of his eyes, just as Marie described, was enough to forget everything around her.

Edward gently turned her around, showing her once again the carving in the tree trunk.

"But this I do remember," he whispered in her ear. "We carved this, over 50 years ago. We were here, just Marie and I in our meadow on a rare sunny day…"

_Sitting in the middle of the blooming meadow, Marie and Edward settled in their own little bubble surrounded by small tea sandwiches and her favorite lemonade that he knew she would love. After the fight last night with his parents, Edward knew he needed to make it up to Marie somehow and an afternoon in their meadow seemed to be the right place for them to be. Getting her to put on that blindfold was a hard task since she claimed how clumsy she could be and didn't trust her own feet. Luckily, he kept her by his side and made sure she went unscathed, just like it should be. _

_So here they were, Marie nestled between his legs and leaning her back against his chest as she read one of her favorite poems out loud. Edward wasn't much of a literature man, but watching Marie's face light up while she read made it almost impossible for him to find it embarrassing. It felt right with her._

"_So was I once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be. It's when I'm weary of considerations, and life is too much like a pathless wood where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs broken across it, and one eye is weeping from a twig's having lashed across it open." Marie continued through her favorite passage of Robert Frost's Birches. Most of his attention however went to her shoulder, which was almost bare from the summer dress she decided to wear today. Her hair was down in soft waves and he felt compelled to touch the softness of her tresses. Running his fingers through a tendril of curls, Edward moved it to reveal her smooth porcelain shoulder, and reached down to kiss it softly. _

"_I'd like to get away from earth awhile and then come back to it and begin over. May no fate willfully misunderstand me and half grant what I wish and snatch me away not to return. Earth's the right place for love. I don't know where it's likely to go better." Even though he kept trailing kisses across her shoulder, Marie never missed a beat while reciting Birches. But then when he decided to be bold and kiss her neck, she stiffened and let out an embarrassing mew so low, he almost didn't catch it. _

"_Edward," Marie giggled, while at the same time trying to be serious "I'm trying to read." _

"_But this is so much more fun." He kissed just below her ear, causing Marie to gasp._

"_Edward," Marie warned him. "What are you doing?" Her voice shuddered as he continued to kiss her neck. This was the most intimate Edward had ever been with her but he was afraid of pushing her too far. Hurting her was the last thing Edward wanted to do, so he let her set the pace of their relationship… he just helped it along sometimes. _

"_I'm kissing you, Marie." He gently nipped her shoulder. "Does this feel good?" he murmured as he trailed back to her neck._

"_Mmm," was all Marie could say. So he took that as a yes… but he still had to make sure._

"_Do you want me to stop?" he asked in a husk, kissing below her ear, causing her to mew softly again. _

"_No," she gasped. "Don't stop." _

_Edward heard the low sound of a thud hit the ground, his only guesses claimed that her poetry book slipped from her hands. Surprisingly, Marie turned around in his lap and straddled his hips, causing him to lay backwards on the blanket. She had never been this forward with him before and he didn't want her to stop, so he kissed her deeply on the mouth and rolled over so he hovered above her. Breaking away from their kiss, Edward couldn't help by revel the beauty below him and her breathtaking smile. _

"_I love you," he whispered._

"_As I love you." She smiled widely before reaching for his neck with her hand and pulling him down to kiss her passionately. _

Bella could feel a tear slip down her cheek as she listened to Edward recount his most intimate time with his love. She could just image the scenario Edward had just pictured for her and began to weep for the loss. He was forever here with limited memories of his lover and the thought of them being apart made more sense than ever. Whatever he was, he was here on Earth waiting for Marie.

Even Edward could feel himself choke up tearlessly as he remembered Marie.

"We made love for the first time and carved our initials into the wood. We thought we had forever and wanted to make sure it was there for years to come. So we could visit this place and never forget. Show our children." Backing up, Edward felt his chest begin tighten as he mourned for his loss. "Never in a million years did I believe this could happen to me."

"What are you Edward?" Bella asked.

"I guess you can call me an Earth bound spirit. I am neither ghost nor angel. They wouldn't let me in, I have to do something before I could. But they wouldn't tell me, they said that I would know and it had to be done." Edward tried his best to explain. Even he didn't truly understand it himself. He had met _him_ once, and the decision to send him to heaven or hell was still up to debate. He needed to clear his name, whatever that meant.

"How did you-" Bella began, trying to word her questions as best she could, "-end up like this?"

"I died the night with Marie… I was with her," he responded. "I blacked out and can't remember what happened next… I just remember holding her."

Bella thought about what Edward had just told her when realization struck her hard.

"But how? Your name wasn't even in the paper. She was alone." Bella turned around to face him. "You weren't there Edward… where were you?"

Edward's eyes grew wide with what Bella had just told him. He knew he was with her that night. He remembered clearly how he found her, tangled in her own dress and caked with blood. There was so much blood pooled around her hips and head.

"I don't…what happened after was a little blurry, but I know I was with her." He tried to ensure himself.

"So, you don't know what happened to your body?" Bella asked.

"Well of course not, it's not like I was conscious when I died… I just remembered pressure against my chest. I couldn't even find the will to breathe until I blacked out." He tried to rack his brain around what he was being told. How could he not be there for his love?

Now that sun had completely set, leaving Bella and Edward encased in darkness. It was when she noticed that she was still able to see Edward despite it being so dark.

Tightening the diary to her chest, Bella closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Opening up the front, Bella faced the picture towards Edward with a determined look on her face.

"Why do I look like her?"

Edward tore his eyes away from Bella to the picture of his love. He didn't speak for the longest time while he looked at the photo. It was his Marie, but it was missing the color of her long mahogany hair, the blush of her cheeks and the creaminess of her skin. But even without the colors, she was just as vibrant and glowing as ever. He would then look at Bella and notice the subtle differences between the two. His Marie's eyes were slightly closer together and her bottom lip was slightly larger than the top, giving her a natural pout. His chest began to hurt, thinking of his Marie and his last memory of her.

Flashes of that night began to flood his mind.

It was too much, all too real again.

So he did what he promised he would never do to Bella again… he began to fade.

Bella stood there speechless after watching the life in his eyes begin to dim. She was afraid she asked too much too soon. When she noticed Edward begin to fade, her heart started to quicken.

"Wait!" she called out. "Not yet!"

And before he faded completely, Edward slowly reappeared.

"You have got to stop doing that!" Bella reprimanded. "You're giving me whiplash here with your coming and going. I don't fully understand why I can see you, why I am even talking to you but apparently you need my help."

Edward's eyes harden at her outburst. "I don't _need_ your help," he hissed.

Bella was taken back from his cold stare but she wouldn't let anyone walk over her, even if he was just a figment of her imagination.

"Oh, really? Then how do you explain the resemblance? Why am I the only one that can see or speak to you? Admit it Edward, you need me." Bella felt her face heat up after her small rant. She waited for Edward's reaction, whether or not he would disappear again.

"I know you don't trust me. But I think I may know who has some of the answers. She would be able to help, I think," she said.

"Who?" His voice cracked slightly from the emotions going through him.

"According to this," Bella held up the diary "Mary Alice was Marie's best friend and I know her granddaughter."

"I don't remember her," Edward admitted. "How do we know we can trust her?"

"I don't," Bella answered. "But it's worth a try, isn't it?"

Edward stood there, contemplating on what Bella just told him.

"Okay," he said softly. "But I want to be present."

OoOoOoeaoOoOoO

After leaving the meadow, Bella made it back to the house and stepped out of her truck. Before going inside, Bella had a strange feeling of being watched and looked around the darkened neighborhood to find anything abnormal. When she didn't see anyone, she unlocked the door to her house and stepped inside, shutting it behind her.

The sound of an engine starting up could hardly be heard and a white truck disappeared into the night.

OoOoOoeaoOoOoO

By morning, Bella dialed Alice's cell phone and asked if she would like to meet her for lunch. Bella was delighted when Alice suggested meeting her for brunch at her grandmother's house. She hadn't seen Edward since he agreed to meet Mary-Alice and wondered if he would show up before she left.

Placing her mother's earring in her ear, Edward sat silently in the chair across from where Bella stood. He remembered watching her throughout the night and the soft noises she made while she slept. It was proof that she was living and breathing. Since the evening at the meadow, his emotions were getting the best of him and he couldn't understand why.

When he was going to fade away from her, the sound of her plea made his entire being stop. It physically ached to hear her beg him not to go. The thought of never being in her presence again made him feel more anxious than before. He _needed_ her, whether he liked it or not. Edward began to feel the guilt when he thought of Marie. He shouldn't even be thinking that way towards Bella. And when he heard his name from her lips, he could never remember hearing something so sweet.

He then thought of Bella's argument towards him. Her vivacious spirit radiated off her. Something that even Marie lacked. And when she told him that he needed her, it caused a reaction from him he never thought could happen. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself because he knew it was true. He did need her. Desperately so.

The sounds of footsteps brought him back to the present and looked up to a startled Bella.

"God dammit, Edward," Bella huffed. "You need to stop doing that."

Edward couldn't believe how lovely Bella looked, even when she was annoyed.

"You look beautiful," he said before thinking.

Bella looked down at her hands, blushing profusely from his comment.

"Thanks," she said quietly while pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm meeting Alice's grandmother today for brunch, so if you're going to come…" she trailed off.

"I'll be there," Edward agreed.

"Alright, so are you ready?" Bella asked before slapping her hand on her forehead. "Of course you're ready… you've been waiting for fifty years." Her nerves were getting the best of her.

"Bella." Edward stepped in front of her. "Look at me."

Bella hesitated at first and raised her eyes to meet his.

"Breathe." He chuckled lightly.

Bella let out a nervous laugh and smiled. "Right, let's go."

OoOoOoeaoOoOoO

Mary Alice reached for the tea kettle and poured both Alice and Bella a cup of her Earl Gray tea. They were all sitting under an umbrella on the wraparound porch that belonged to Mary-Alice Brandon Grayson. The wind chimes were happily chiming with the breeze that moved across the field and spinning a garden pin wheel. Bella couldn't help but admire the beauty of this place but the sound of Mrs. Grayson pulled her back.

"So, my Alice tells me that you are originally from Florida?" Mrs. Grayson looked kindly at Bella. Her floppy hat reminded her of the ladies that Bella would often see hanging around the town in Florida.

"Well, I was born in Arizona but then eventually moved to Jacksonville later on. My mother never really liked to stay in one area for too long," Bella told her.

"How nice! I would love to live in Florida and bask in the sun. However my roots are planted here," she explained while Riley placed down a tray of sandwiches and fruit.

"Riley dear," Mrs. Grayson called out to Riley before he went back inside. "Bring me back my glasses please."

"Yes ma'am," he replied and left inside.

"Grandma, Bella is living at Old Chief's place now. You will never believe the things she found there," Alice mentioned.

Mrs. Grayson smiled tightly before responding. "Well I do hope you are settling alright there."

"Yes Ma'am, I'm settling fine." Bella didn't know how she would bring up Edward or Marie. She knew Edward was listening, but never showing himself. It was still unclear if she was the only one that could see him, so he wasn't going to take that chance.

"Oh, please don't start with the ma'am business." Mrs. Grayson laughed to lighten the mood. "And please call me Mary."

It wasn't long before Riley walked back out and handed Mary her glasses. Setting the large round glasses in place, Mary thanked Riley before sending him away for refills.

Mary looked up at Alice, smiling adoringly at her before focusing on Bella. Her smile dropped instantly and her hands began to tremble, making it difficult to hold to her tea without spilling.

"Grandma?" Alice asked worriedly at the change of mood of her grandmother. "Grandma, what's wrong?" Looking between her grandmother and Bella, trying to figure out what was happening.

Except Bella knew why but looked away nervously.

It was then Edward showed up, watching the exchange. No one noticed, except for Bella of his presence. He then sat down at the empty chair beside Bella.

Mary looked at her granddaughter and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, dear," she assured Alice. "Bella just reminds me so much of someone I knew. A very, very long time ago."

"She remembers Marie," Edward commented. "I can feel her nervousness but she's stubborn…"

Bella nodded slightly, acknowledging both. "I think I may know who you're talking about… _Catherine _Marie Swan."

Mary's eyes widen at the mention of her name. Alice, once again confused, asked questions.

"Who's Catherine? Wait… you mean Marie?" Alice asked Bella.

"How do you know her name?" Mary asked, ignoring Alice.

"Well," Bella took a deep breath before beginning. "While I was putting my things away, I found a room that is filled with her things. I actually found this." Bella reached for her purse and pulled out the diary. "This is Marie's… and this is actually one of the reasons I wanted to meet you."

Bella felt as though she was holding her breath while waiting for Mary's response. At this point anything could happen, asking her to leave or telling her what she needed. She could feel energy radiating off Edward, he was doing the same.

Mary shakily took the diary from Bella's hand and placed it in front of her. Her lip began to tremble and opened the cover to reveal the photograph.

"Oh, Marie." Her eyes began to water while memorizing her former best friend.

"I didn't read much, but she mentioned you often," Bella mentioned.

"You have no idea how long I have thought about my best friend." Mary's voice cracked while telling Bella and Alice. "Oh, how I miss her."

Edward then appeared next to Mary, watching her as she remembered Marie. Bella wasn't sure if Mary could feel his presence so close to her but she held her breath and continued to listen.

"We were inseparable… until _he_ came along." Her voice began to harden.

"Who?" Alice jumped in.

"Marie's beau, Edward." His name rolling off her tongue made Bella stiffen and caused Edward to step back from Mary.

"Oh?" Bella managed to ask without giving it away that she knew who she was referring to.

"I always thought they were moving too fast. Marie had… issues." Mary tried her best to explain.

Both Bella and Edward looked at her in question. Issues?

"What kind of issues?" Bella asked along with Edward.

"It's really not my story to tell… but to truly understand Marie you have to know the awful past she had." Mary sounded detached, leaving all emotion away.

"Let me get something," Mary said while sitting up from her chair and walking into her house.

"What is she talking about?" Edward asked Bella. "I know Marie… she was fine. I know she was." He said determinedly.

Bella glanced at Edward sadly, not sure how to answer with Alice present.

It wasn't long for Mary to return, with a small trinket box in hand.

"I haven't opened this for years," Mary explained. "I almost forgot where I placed it."

Mary finally opened the box and pulled out folded papers, a locket and then a photograph. Mary covered her mouth with her hand while she stared at the photograph and handing it to Bella.

Bella gasped as she examined the photograph.

It was of Marie, much younger than the photo in her diary. She must of have been thirteen or fourteen at the time.

_So young,_ Bella thought.

But Marie wasn't alone.

Because in her arms, was an infant.

Mary's voice sounded far off from Edward's own ears as he stood behind Bella, trembling violently.

"That is Marie," Mary began, before her voice began to crack. "And her baby."

Wind chimes, ornaments and other fragile decorations on the porch began to shake violently before smashing onto the ground.

"_No."_

**Um… so before you begin to throw things at me *flinches* please know that I have a very good explanation for the 2-3 month delay…**

**Soon after posting the last chapter, I started to become ill. Headaches, fatigue and nausea… it wasn't pretty. Then I find out that the cause of all this…**

**I'm pregnant! =)**

**I've pretty much counted all the tiles to both my bathroom floors. Well now I am in my second trimester and everything has balanced… Bean is no longer kicking my ass…. Badly. **

**So am I forgiven yet? **

**I'll have a teaser for those that review =)**

**-Leigh**


	11. Chapter 10: Save Me

**A/N:**

**Hi! *waves* I'm back! Slowly but surely this story is going to be completed. There's no set schedule right now… just going to update as soon as a chapter is finished. **

**It's not beta'd, so please forgive me for any mistakes you may find. **

**And thank you everyone for your amazing support. It's been a tough 5 months.**

**Since it's been so long, you may want to go over and reread the past few chapters.**

**Warning:**

**No details but just mentioning's of assault and rape. If you are not able to handle such scenes, please skip all italized parts… if you want a summary of what happened, please PM me and I will be happy to send one. **

Bella stood inside her home and watched.

The scene before her was breaking her heart but she knew he had to let it out.

He was grieving and angry.

_Betrayed._

Edward kept pacing back and forth hastily, breathing harder than before while gripping his hair in the process. He ripped off his jacket and threw it across the room to keep from feeling restricted even when it did nothing to help.

The picture he saw had to have been fake. Marie, his love, would never betray him. Never lie to him. But it was right there.

Holding a tiny baby in her delicate arms and the sadness in her eyes.

"Edward," Bella said softly, begging him to let her in.

"I just… I don't fucking get it. How could she," and with that he let out a scream and fell to his knees.

"_Come on Marie! We have to make it back to the dorms before Headmistress Jameson catches us!" A young Mary Alice yelled back at Marie. The two friends were hastily running down the streets of Port Angeles. Marie, as always, had her head in a book while Mary Alice walked around the library before they realized that the sun would start to descend. _

"_Mary! Slow down, I cannot keep up with you in these shoes." Marie held her books to her chest while she tried to catch up with Mary Alice. It would be past dark by the time they would make it back to the dormitories and being out this late was not acceptable for young ladies. They would for sure be punished if they do not make it in time. _

_In her haste, Marie felt one of her beloved books slip out of her arms and onto the dirty sidewalk. When she realized what had happened, she couldn't just leave it. _

"_Come on!" Mary's voice sounded more distant to Marie._

"_Hold on Mare, I dropped something," she yelled back._

_Mary slowed down her run and begrudgingly turned around to help Marie. She watched as Marie reached down for something and noticed a figure walking out of the alleyway._

"_Marie! Come on!" Mary yelled desperately as she began to sprint towards her. _

_Marie picked up her book and dusted off any mud she could before turning around. _

"_Marie!" She heard Mary screeched her name. _

_But it was too late._

"Edward," Bella broke in a sob. She watched as Edward began to pull his hair even harder. She slowly walked towards him, hoping not to startle him. Slowly, Bella lowered herself on her knees to be eye leveled with Edward. She wanted to console him, hold him and make the pain end. His pain was her pain.

Edward could feel every fiber of his being harden. It took a lot of energy to do so, but after years of not concentrating his power fully, he had no choice but to. He could feel warmth looming over his head and then pressure. His hands were being pried off his hair and then gently caressed.

He looked up to find Bella holding his hands.

He was being touched, something that hadn't happened in over fifty years. He felt one of his hands being dropped and a small hand being placed on top of his head. Bella ran her hands through his hair in a comforting manner.

Memories of Marie started to evade his thoughts and an image of Marie doing dragging her delicate fingers through his unruly hair. It was the only way she was able to calm Edward down after a fight with his father.

"Shhh," Bella began to whisper as his he was a child. A child mourning for his lose.

Edward could feel his chest tighten even more. Lowering his head until it laid on top of Bella's knees, both of Bella's hands were now in his hair and could feel her nails begin to scratch. Unconsciously, Edward wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes.

Remembering the story Mary Alice told just hours before…

_Minutes or hours could have gone by but to Mary Alice it was a lifetime. She had just watched her best friend be pulled into an alleyway screaming at the top of her lungs. _

"_Marie!" Mary cried out. She ran to the alleyway and found her friend trying to escape the hands of her assailant. _

"_Mary!" She could hear Marie cry out. "Run! Get help!" She said before screaming and then silenced. _

_Mary pressed her back to the brick wall of the building to get her bearings and then took off down the street in hopes to find someone. _

"_Help!" She screamed out into the dead night. Relieved, she found a house lit up and ran to it. Mary knocked on the door repeatedly until a man in a suit answered. _

"_Miss? May I help you?" He asked in concern after seeing her distressed state._

"_My-my friend! She needs help! The man took her… she needs help! She's just down the street in the alleyway!" She managed to get out. Behind the man was a young woman and her children peeking out to see what all the screaming was about._

"_Paulette!" The man turned to his wife, "phone the police and lock the doors. Do not answer unless it is me." He kissed his wife on the cheek and grabbed his coat. He turned to Mary and guided her in his home. "Please stay here while I take care of this."_

"_Garrett! No!" His wife yelled out. _

"_I'll be right back." Garrett assured his wife and pulled out a box from the closet._

_Mary looked to see what it was he was getting and backed away when she noticed the gleam of a revolver and then he was gone. _

_Minutes after he left, Mary couldn't sit there and watch his crying wife as she was on the phone with the police. So she snuck out and began to run where Marie was being held captured. _

_When she reached her destination, she could only hear soft cries that could only come from Marie. Garrett was leaning over her and asking her questions if she was alright. But from what Mary could see, her best friend was far from okay. _

_Marie, lying on her back, dirty from the mud and mixed with blood. The top half of her dress had been ripped off leaving her exposed but then covered by Garrett's jacket. _

_Soon the police arrived and began to question Garrett. He began to tell them what had witnessed. _

_Mary made her way to her friend and dropped her knees beside her. She began to move Marie's hair from her face and could see the beginnings of bruises._

"_Marie, I'm so sorry I couldn't do more." Mary sobbed and grabbed her hand, refusing to let go. _

Bella was disappointed when she opened her eyes and found Edward was no longer there with her. She felt the ache return pulled her knees against her chest. Louie, after realizing Edward was no longer in the room, nudged Bella with his head and rumbled against her. Her tears were falling, soaking her arms and jeans as she cried for Marie.

"_Did you hear?" Lucy Banner whispered in Mary Alice's ear. She watched Marie walk out of the classroom, her father carrying her belongings. Mary Alice wanted to yell out to her best friend, ask her why she was leaving. _

_Marie looked back, tears streaming down her cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Charles Swan rested his hand against her shoulder and guided her out the doors. _

_Mary Alice shook her head to answer Lucy's question._

"_Marie is going to Vermont." Lucy's golden hair glistened from the sun pouring in from outside. "She's with child."_

Later that week and without a sight of Edward, Bella made her way to the diner. She hadn't known Edward very long but his absence was apparent. And she missed him dearly.

Bella remembered feeling foolish calling out his name, hoping for his return. But all she received was the unsettling silence.

"_He needs time_" Bella told herself.

The familiar bell of the door rang out. And sitting in his usual booth, with his usual coffee and paper, was Charles Swan.

Bella didn't know what she was doing. She had to be crazy to be walking up to Charles Swan's table. He was generally left alone and preferred it that way. But she wanted answers.

Bella wanted to know why she was so drawn to the Swan's.

**Hope you enjoyed your update =) **

**Story Rec:**

**Hello Beautiful by SoapyMayhem **www DOT fanfiction DOT net / s / 8268907 / 1 / Hello_Beautiful


	12. Chapter 11: Baby Boy

**A/N: Hi! Told ya I wouldn't take too long ;) With my husband's new work schedule, I have more time to myself and my now mobile son likes naps again (yay!) **

**And this chapter is not beta'd yet. So please excuse any mistakes (I'm sure there's a lot). I'll go back and clean it up later. **

**Make sure you check out the A/N at the end…**

**Chapter 11: Baby boy**

Charles was just about to signal for his ticket when a certain brunette walked into the diner. Taking a deep breath, Charles folded down his newspaper and watched Bella hesitate at the doorway. At that moment, he didn't see Bella. He saw his daughter and her beautiful smile. The way she would capture the attention of everyone around her, how the sun followed wherever she went.

"Charlie?" He heard a voice from a distance but he eyes stayed on the girl. Only it wasn't Marie anymore… only Bella. Charles cleared his throat and acknowledged that Lillian was standing beside him, a fresh pot of coffee in her hand.

"Are you alright Charlie?" Lillian asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I'm good," he lied. Truthfully he was far from it. "I think I'm ready for my ticket."

Lillian placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and walked away.

Bella stood by the doorway, unable to decide how to approach him. Taking a good look at him, she could see just how many features they shared. If anyone didn't know any better, they could be related. If she only knew…

"Mr. Swan?" Bella timidly asked. "I'm Bella."

"I know who you are, please sit." She was stunned by his response and then felt silly for introducing herself. Of course he knew. Everyone in the town knew who she was. "But please, just call me Charlie."

Bella gave a nervous laugh and took a seat across from him. Charles took a sip of his coffee, hoping to gain a little more composure. This girl was going to break him and she didn't even realize it.

"Charlie," she name tasted strange on her tongue, yet familiar. "From what I've been told, I am now the owner of where you use to live. I found some things I think you might be interested-"

"No interest." Charles cut her off. "Anything left you're welcome to have or throw out."

Bella reached for her purse and took out Marie's diary. Placing it on the table, Bella slid it towards Charles.

Charles took a deep breath and recognized the journal immediately. He remembered Marie always carrying it around the house and writing in it. His frail hand shook and placed it on top of the journal, unsure if he should open it. If he did, the memories he tried to keep away would come rushing forward. But if he doesn't… he'll always wonder…

"There's more." Bella's voice broke him from his reverie. "A few days ago, I went to see Mary Alice. And she gave me this." In her hand was the picture of Marie and her newborn baby. Charles couldn't even speak, too afraid of what might happen. But he took the picture, hand still trembling, and covered his mouth with the other.

He remembered the day he sent Marie out east to Vermont, after she…

"Thank you." Was all Charles said.

"Mr. Swa- Charlie," Bella began. "Since moving here to Forks, I've been noticing how everyone looks at me. Like I'm some sort of ghost. When I found the journal, I understood it was mostly because of who I looked like." She knew better than to say her name, unsure of how Charles would react. "But I have so many questions and I'm not sure who to talk to. What happened? To the baby."

"Honey, this conversation is going to take something a lot stronger than coffee." He nodded to his empty cup.

"Of course," Bella stood up from her seat. "I apologize for intruding."

Before she could turn around to leave, Charles reached out for Bella's arm. Not wanting her to leave. Not now.

"Stay," The sadness in Charles eyes cut through her heart. "Please."

Bella sat back down slowly and watched Charles relax immediately, removing his hand from her arm.

"Marie wanted nothing more than to keep that baby." Bella couldn't almost believe Charles decided to talk about it. She was almost certain it would never happen. "But she was so young. Her mother had left us when she was such a young girl and with my job…"

Charles took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Remembering how Marie looked the day she came back home. Her once bright eyes dimmed and hollow.

"Marie was never the same again. I would send her to her grandparents, hoping the sun would do her some good. But she became even more withdrawn."

"So she had to give the baby away?" Bella asked, feeling a hint of anger rushing through her veins. "What happened to it?"

"She named him after my father." He remembered how Marie would whimper his name when she slept and holding her flat stomach. "The couple that adopted him were actually from around the area, visiting east knowing the school for unwed mothers were nearby. I never told Marie that, afraid she would go looking for him. When they realized who we were, they packed their bags and left."

Bella couldn't believe the torment Marie had to have been going through. Giving away her baby and for him to be living near her.

"That's horrible." Bella whispered, wiping away a tear that fell on her cheek. "Do you know where they went? Did you ever see him again?"

"I did actually, met him once years later." Charles remembered again, meeting a spitting image of Marie. "It was after Marie, after she-" He couldn't even say the words. Still too fresh. "He found his birth certificate taped behind an hold picture of him. When his last name didn't match the one he grew up with, he knew something was up. He confronted his parents and they told him the truth, where he came from."

"Did he know it was you?" Bella asked.

Charles sat back in his seat, tapping the table with his fingertips. "I think we both knew the moment he ran into me. He was, Marie would have been so proud of him. Had a family of his own and a successful business man. William was so much like his mother," Charles smiled. "He never realized it, but it was obvious how much of Marie he had in him. How he would twist his short hair in the back, just like Marie did when she was nervous or concentrating."

The moment Charles spoke the words, Bella could only think of her father. Remember how he would do the exact same thing, especially while painting.

"Does he still come around?" She asked, wanting to think of something other than her father.

Charlie frowned and shook his head. "He passed away a few years ago. Damn shame. Left behind a wife and daughter. I had tried to find them, but they had moved away not long after.

Something in the back of Bella's mind kept prickling, wanting her to remember something important. _It couldn't possibly be.._ she thought.

"Charlie, you said his name was William. What was his last name?" Her voice shook slightly as she asked. Charles looked at her curiously, wondering why she wanted to know. But he couldn't deny Bella of anything, just like with Marie.

"Landon. His name was William Landon."

**A/N: **

**Do you see it? Huh? **

**No? Then you need to go back a few chapters… **

**The name written on the painting. Chapter 5. **

…

**I have a new story (yeah I know I know, I've been starting a lot of stories and not finishing them) but this one is considered my "therapy". More for me than anything. But go check it out and tell me what you think! I'm updating frequently there. **

**It's called Someday Soon, I Promise. **

**Goodnight ;)**


	13. Chapter 12: Broken Angel

**Song - Gabriel by Lamb**

**Chapter 12 - Broken Angel**

Peter McKinney slouched in his seat and watched while his grandfather kept his gaze out the window. The truck has been parked outside of the diner. Mr. McKinney had been keeping close tabs on the newcomer, Bella Holden. He wondered if she was here to torment him. Fifty years since he had seen someone as beautiful as her, like his Marie.

But she was never his…

"Hey, is that Bella? The girl from the market?" Peter sat up straight, interested now more than ever, watching Bella walk out of the diner. "I'll be right back." He was out of the truck and made his way over to the beautiful brunette.

Bella Holden walked out of the diner, with the diary in her possession. Now she knew. If everything that Charlie had just told her was true, she was the grandchild of Marie Swan. And Charlie…

"Bella?" She had been so lost in her own mind that she didn't even see Peter in front of her.

"Peter, how are you?" Bella tried her best to smile. Even though it was fake.

"I'm good. Really good. I was just in the neighborhood with my grandfather. You know… just hanging." Peter gestured towards his grandfathers truck. He was nervous. He wanted to act cool in front of her and he was sure he was failing. Badly.

Bella shifted her eyes towards the white truck and something told her she had seen it before. And inside, the older gentleman she had ran her cart into. He was looking intently at her and this caused Bella to look away.

"…catch a movie in Port Angeles. What do you say?" Bella turned her attention back to Peter, realizing he was asking her something. She could tell he was nervous and knew what he was asking.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"There's a restaurant just opening up and I wanted to know if you want to go. You know, to dinner. With me." Peter shifted and looked down

Bella was flattered. Really. But with the past few days and talking with Charlie. Who she now knows is her Great Grandfather… getting involved someone wouldn't be ideal. But maybe getting away from it all. Ghosts. Mysteries. Unsolved murders…

Yes.

A night with a normal guy. Bella knew she would have to tell Peter about her past, her failed marriage. But for tonight, she would be Bella Landon. Or…. Swan… it was all too confusing.

"…I completely understand. Wanting privacy…"

"Yeah." She breathed out.

"…Not looking for anything - wait…. yeah?" His blue eyes widening in surprise and excitement. Making Bella laugh just a little. The first time really since Edward appeared.

"That's awesome. Just… wow. Tonight… I can pick you up at seven?"

"Sure… i'd like that."

Seeing him smile made her heart swell. Maybe a normal night. With a normal guy. Yeah… she needed it.

"Great, then i'll see you then. At seven. Are your place." He said while walking backwards towards the white truck, unable to drop his goofy smile. Bella laughed and made her way back home. To get ready for her date. With Peter.

As the two went their separate ways, Charles kept his gaze towards Bella. Watching her and the McKinney kid interact with each other. It was like a flashback, watching his daughter and… him… together. How they would sneak around when they thought he wasn't aware. Marie said she was in love. She was going to marry him and move away together. Find her son and live happily ever after.

He couldn't let that happen. He wanted Masen to just go away. Marie was a good girl. She needed to finish school and meet a nice man.

Now…. he wished he had just let it be.

Because he knew. It was his fault they were both dead.

* * *

Bella carefully placed Marie's diary in her dresser. So many secrets were hidden inside the faded journal, but for now, it would have to be for another day. The house was silent, except for a soft creaking noise… but with her current thoughts. She paid no mind.

After turning on the shower and allowing the steam to fill the room, Bella pulled off her sweater and went to unsnap her bra. But something had caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

The rocking chair in her bedroom. Slowly rocking back and forth, a low creaking barely loud enough for her to hear.

_That… that… bastard!_

"Edward!" She shrieked, finding something to cover herself.

The rocking came to an abrupt stop. Bella could feel a slight cool breeze behind her. She knew it was him. She couldn't see him but her instincts told her Edward was there.

"Cut it out." Pressing her hand over her racing heart, hoping it would calm down before going into a panic attack. "Don't play games Edward."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He whispered into her ear.

"Yes you do." Her voice shook. She was highly aware of how close he was to her. "Stop it."

"I should say the same about you." His tone… it was different. Hard and unforgiving. Her spine straightened, fear taking over her. And at the same time, a familiar ache in her belly.

"What?! Why you-" Before Bella could finish, she felt her bare skin touch the cold wall and Edward in site. He was shirtless and she felt her heart race against his chest. Her sweater that was covering her chest was now on the floor.

"You're mine." He growled into her right ear and ran his hand against her warm skin. He put all his concentration together to feel her. Feeling he was finally getting control of his emotions, Edward dropped his head onto her shoulder. He thought back to earlier that day. How he had followed Bella into town and watch from the distance as she spoke with Marie's father. He knew she was getting answers, ones that he wanted for himself. But he didn't pry. Edward wasn't sure if Bella would have been the only one to notice his presence. With the strong connection to Charles… he needed to be safe. Unseen.

But when that boy approached her… rage filled his mind. He didn't see Bella… only Marie. And when she said yes? Possessiveness clouded his judgement. She was his. Bella… Marie…. to him they were the same person. He would be damned if she was taken away from him again.

Bella couldn't find it in herself to move away. The bathroom was now filled with the hot steam from her shower and could feel his skin against hers. She felt the tip of his nose graze her neck. She was certain that if she moved just an inch, he would disappear from her.

His hands moved from her waist and up her back, his expert fingers finding the snap of her bra. The feel of her bra loosening cleared her mind. She was going to hate herself in a moment...

"_Edward,_" she whimpered. "Stop."

But he didn't. Edward pulled her closer, entrapping her in his arms. He never wanted this moment to end… to let her go. Pressing his lips against her neck, a shudder went through Bella's entire body. Her skin enflamed. She was on fire.

"Don't go." He whispered into her damp skin. "_Please…"_

Bella felt him tremble as she wrapped her arms around him. Feeling him for the first time. She felt everything. Anger, confusion, lust, hurt… pain. Her heart broke for Edward and she could only tighten her hold against him. He needed her and she would do everything she could to ease his pain. However, she was unsure if he was going to want to hear what she had learned in the past few hours. Whether he would except she was his Marie's granddaughter.

But she kept quiet and allowed the feeling of Edward surround her completely. She wanted to heal her broken angel.

* * *

***tears***

**We're getting there folks. We are getting close to the end… i would say 5-6 more chapters? My writing mojo is back! *Celebration***

**For those worried about HEA… trust me. I have a plan. ;) **


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